Being a Daddy
by Shunatsu
Summary: After finding an injured Zoro on his doorstep, it was the start of a roller coaster ride for Mihawk as he experiences the joys and pains of raising a son and watching him grow up, and as a storm brews around the presence of the boy, Mihawk needs to summon all his strength to protect his son from the hands of the enemies. Features Child!Zoro and Daddy!Mihawk.
1. Prologue: Fateful Meeting

**I was inspired by a picture I saw in Tumblr, and just had to write this. It's my first OP fic and the first fic in 3 years, so forgive me for any of the errors (especially grammar) throughout the story. I'm trying my best. ^^ Also, single inverted commas '...' are for speech, most _italics_ are for thoughts.  
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**I NO OWN ONE PIECE. *SOBS* This goes for ALL the chapters in this fic. Period.**

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><p>Today… just really, <em>REALLY <em>wasn't his day.

He never wanted to drink, really. Bars were never his thing. He enjoyed buying a bottle of good wine or two, down it slowly to savour its taste in the darkness of his own kitchen, with silence as his ever loyal companion. That was how he preferred life, quiet and contemplating.

How Shanks managed to drag him to those noisy, crowded bars late at night, he could never understand. It's more or less a normal occurrence now for the man to randomly materialize out of nowhere - be it his home, his dojo, no matter how hard he hides himself he could never seem to escape his evil tentacles – and kidnap him to his impending doom or whine until the man consented. He would then be forced to sit through his ramblings (most of the time about two recently adopted sons, and he couldn't help the twinge of sympathy at the poor souls in his disastrous care), deal with his equally mad co-workers who would persuade him to joining their rambunctious activities (like participate in some undignified dance), and escape when Shanks finally got himself drunk. It was frustrating, to say the least. He didn't care if Shanks did it 'for his own good because he was so antisocial he scares most people away before even getting to know them', he just wanted to relax at home after a hard day's work and maybe, _maybe_ play with his daughter Perona if she wasn't trying to make him wear a dress and take part in her ridiculous tea parties. You'd think at the age of ten, girls would have grown out of them, but no. Perona seemed to enjoy them the more she grew up, especially since her mother-

No, Mihawk shook his head. Now wasn't the time to dwell on this. Booze was supposed to make him forget, the booming music in the room was supposed to distract him, damnit! He took another swing of the bottle, gulping down the contents in one go. He banged the empty bottle on the counter, startling a nearby bartender. The man whimpered under his predatory glare. 'Another.'

The poor man nodded quickly in response and sprinted away like a chicken. Mihawk sighed, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. A sense of foreboding crept into his soul and planted deep roots at the base of his heart. Something bad was going to happen today. Whenever memories of _her _surfaced, it would no doubt bring bad luck. But today was a little different. It was as though something important was about to happen, like he was waiting for the start of a chain event to unfold…

'What's gotten you in such a bad mood today?'

Shanks. Not drunk. Now that's a record. How long has it been? An hour? Maybe two?

'That obvious?' No point in denying if he already knew. Shanks have an annoying habit of being perceptive of other people's feelings. Like a girl, he added as an afterthought. The trembling bartender returned with another bottle of wine, but ran away before Mihawk could pay for the booze. He shrugged, snatched his prize from the counter and started chugging it down.

'You've been drinking non-stop since we arrived.'

Mihawk lifted the bottle from his lips, could taste the lingering pang of alcohol on his tongue. 'I always drink when we come.'

'Not 4 bottles in an hour. Something's bothering you.' Damn, he's being persistent today. He cursed inwardly as he lowered the bottle.

'… I have a bad feeling,' he scowled. He didn't know how to describe it. The air around him… it felt out of place.

Shanks looked taken aback. 'Why, Mihawk! Don't let it keep your spirits down!' He looked down at the bottle of beer in his hand and shoved it at the brooding man. 'Here! You can have my beer today.' The red-haired idiot then slapped his back hard (Mihawk almost dropped the booze, damnit!) and _skipped_ off to find more alcohol, laughing like a maniac all the way.

Mihawk drew his hand across his neatly-combed, black hair, trying his best to suppress the growing urge of drawing his sword and slicing the whole place into fine dust. After all, he always carried the heavy sword behind his back wherever he went. The throbbing head was no help whatsoever.

In the midst of day-dreaming about delicious ways of slicing his self-proclaimed red-haired friend up, he felt his phone vibrate. He drew them out of his pocket with a shuffle, and frowned at the number.

_Perona… Isn't she supposed to be asleep at this time? _He pressed the call button and breathed. 'What is it?'

'Daddyyyyyyyy! There's a kid outside the door! I know you've told me not to let strangers in but he was hurt so I brought him in and dressed his wounds but I _think_ he's running a fever cause his temperature's high but I'm not really sure so can you please, please COME HOME NOW?' His daughter's shrill voice sliced at his eardrums and he felt a vein throbbing in his forehead. Coupled with a drunk yelling behind him, Mihawk had the overwhelming urge to just scream. But shouting at his daughter when he could detect that siren of panic in her voice wasn't a very good idea, so he settled with a deep breath instead.

'Calm down, Perona.' The girl sniffled at the end of the line in response, and Mihawk felt the alarm rising in his throat. Perona does not cry on a whim like other girls do. 'Now tell me again: why did you let a stranger into the house?'

'I didn't mean to!' she wailed. 'He was a kid and he was unconscious! And- and he was burned all over the place, and since it was raining outside and it was cold I just let him in and- and-' There was a pause. 'Just come home already! I don't know what to do, sheesh!' she screamed.

Dread swept over the man like a wave, and Mihawk turned to Ben, who was trying to wrestle a bottle of Vodka from Shanks' grip. 'Make sure the idiot gets home safely. I'm going now.'

Ben's smiling face morphed into a somber expression. 'Something up?'

Mihawk nodded, and didn't wait to elaborate as he strode out of the bar and into the parking lot, the on-going rain soaking his favourite shirt. He silently cursed. Why today of all days, at all times, did it have to rain? He clutched onto his cell phone tightly.

'How are his injuries?'

A sniff. 'Well, he's got a lot of cuts on his arms and legs, but I've wrapped those up, including the burns on them. But- but- there's a lot of swelling on his torso, and he's having trouble breathing and he keeps wheezing and-'

Broken ribs. That alone was serious enough. 'Tilt his chin up to keep him breathing, Perona,' he barked. 'Then place a cold, wet towel on his forehead. I'm on the way home now. If anything happens, call me.' He snapped his phone shut, got into his car, start up the engines and was out of the compound and into the main road in a matter of seconds, narrowly avoiding a pedestrian on the sidewalk (well, it wasn't HIS fault he didn't see a black guy dressed in black walking in the black shadows of the night) who was now hurling curses at him. It didn't matter that he's driving well past the speed limit, or that he had drove past four red lights in a go or that he almost crashed straight into an oncoming truck that could've ended his life right there and then.

What mattered was that there was a kid potentially dying in his house, and as far as he was concerned, no one else would be dying in his home, not under his watch, not unless if it was him.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

It took him seven minutes to complete an otherwise fifteen minute journey, and by the time the keys were found and the door kicked open, his heart was pounding heavily in his chest and his hawk-eyes blazing with murderous fury. Seven minutes was enough to kill a man, much less a child.

'Daddy!' Mihawk found his daughter kneeling before the living room sofa sniffling, and rushed towards them. Perona stood up immediately as her father kneeled before the kid, trying to hold back her tears.

The first thing that struck Mihawk was the short, almost-spiky green hair the child had. Granted, he had a daughter with glaring pink hair, but that wasn't the point.

_What is with my dumb luck with kids with weird hair? _He grumbled in his head while swiftly inspecting the wounds, prodding at the ribs below swollen skin. _3 broken ribs, one left, two at the right. _That probably explains why the kid was breathing irregularly, but other than a broken leg and severe bruising on his neck _(someone could've strangled him), _the burns across his whole torso, decorated by various cuts littering across his tiny chest, the man couldn't find any more serious wounds on the child. He did, however, notice the flushed face and the abnormally high temperature on the child's forehead. That might need some watching over, he frowned. Reaching for the first aid kit on the ground, Mihawk pulled out a clean roll of bandages. 'Perona. Prepare a bucket of warm water and some clean towels, and take them to my room. And get some pills for his fever.' The girl nodded and skittered away.

Mihawk sighed in the blissful silence as he wrapped the boy. It felt out of place, to say the least. Was it fate that drove this child to his doorstep? Who was this child? Why was he so beaten up? The annoyance and worry he's suppressed all night transformed into icy rage at those who would harm this child. This boy couldn't be any older than Perona!

But deep in his heart an enormous blanket of intense relief draped over him upon checking that there were no other life threatening wounds on the boy, and that he was still breathing. The boy was not coughing up blood, so he was sure the broken ribs did not puncture any internal organs. So all that was left to take care was the fever. He was thankful.

Nobody was dying tonight.

After finishing with the ribs, Mihawk rewarded himself a moment of satisfaction at his work before moving on to the left leg. He heard the loud sloshing of a tap from the bathroom upstairs cease and smiled. The bandages on the boy's arms were nicely wrapped, secure and not too tight, not bad for a 10 year old's work under his tutelage. She would definitely demand something for her good job later. His smile vanished immediately at that thought.

He picked the boy up into his arms and, careful not to jog his injuries, carried him up the stairs into his room. Perona helped dry the boy and fit him into one of her pyjamas (he was grateful it came with pants, but cringed at the sight frills and pink teddy bears on them) whilst he dried his hair. By the time the boy was settled comfortably beneath the covers, the clock by his bedside blinked 2:05am.

Mihawk ran a hand through his face and pondered at the situation. He was stuck taking care of a sick, injured kid with green hair. If Shanks found out, his hard-earned reputation would be ruined forever. The tall man turned to his daughter. 'Go get some sleep. You did good tonight.'

Apparently she took it as a cue to demand a reward. 'So can I not go to school tomorrow? It's so late!' Mihawk gave her a stern look, but Perona stubbornly glared at him. It took but a few seconds glance of if-you'd-been-here-you-would-have-dealt-with-him-and-I-wouldn't-have-woken-up-so-it's-clearly-your-fault look, Mihawk gave.

'Fine,' he sighed. 'But you'll be helping tomorrow.' Oh boy will he need it.

Perona shrieked with happiness, jumped and tackled him in a hug. 'Thank you thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!' With that she dashed out of the room, leaving Mihawk blinking in the centre of the room, lost and confused. He sighed, and snagged a wooden chair from the corner of the room and sat down, folding his arms with calculating coldness as he gazed at the child. Even in unconsciousness the boy sported a pained frown on his face. From the moonlight drifting across the room, he could see the boy's dark skin, probably tanned. Thoughts raced across his mind. Who was this boy? How did he end up in this state? Did he have a family? A home? What should he do with him?

A voice shattered his train of thoughts and Mihawk stared at the door, golden eyes shimmering like a hawk. 'Oh,' Perona came stumbling in. His eyes widened in surprise at the object in her hands. 'He came with this.' On her hands balanced a long, white blade, sleek and beautiful, calming and dangerous. Her handle gleamed with silver, fine, intricate patterns crisscrossing against each other in a flurry of perfect symmetry. The seppa of the blade dazzled with gold, its saya a perfect white. Mihawk lifted the sword delicately from Perona's arms, which she took as a cue to leave. He balanced the blade precariously with his fingertips, lifting it slowly to his chest, and in one fluid motion, drew the sword from its scabbard. The blade came away smoothly with a ring, shining brilliantly in the darkness of night. There was no doubt about it.

This was Wado Ichimonji. One of the twenty one O Wazamono Grade Swords. A Meito. A blade last seen from Koshiro years back when they were opponents. He could never forget the stunning grace held by this katana.

He resheathed the sword, and narrowed his eyes at the green-haired boy lying on the bed.

… Who was he, indeed.

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><p><strong>I love you, you love me. We are happy family. With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won't you just review me too? ;D<strong>


	2. Introducing Roronoa Zoro

**Thank you for your patience while waiting for this new chapter. This one had been really difficult for me to write. I lost count how many times I rewritten the scenes (5 times on the 2nd part) and edited it, not did it help I got sick in the middle of it all. So I apologise if this chapter isn't up to standards, and for any errors I might have overlooked. . Also, this chapter contains reference to Chapter 51-52 of the OP manga (Mihawk and Zoro's ground-breaking interaction) and Episode 2 of OP anime (Zoro's flashback of Kuina), which I own none of it. Warnings for sadness ahead.  
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**And thank you for all your support to this new fic (be it readers, reviewers, favourites etc). I'm glad you gave it a chance. ^^ Now on with the**** story!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Introducing Roronoa Zoro<strong>_  
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_Where the hell am I? … Don't tell me those idiots managed to get lost even in my dreams._

_Zoro breathed a sigh. Well, guess it couldn't be helped. It wasn't his fault every kid in the dojo has a bad sense of direction. He just hoped they would return safely and unhurt. It was mind-boggling, how those idiots managed to blame him when they were the ones who got lost. Zoro scoffed. As if he'd get lost that easily. He was Roronoa Zoro, the man who would become the greatest swordsman in the world, and great swordsmen have good sense of direction. After wandering for awhile, he decided to sit down among the grass, and stared up at the sky._

_It must be evening, or dawn, Zoro wasn't sure, since the sky was painted in an orange-yellow hue. Strange thing was there were no clouds, but then what were the strange swirls in the sky? Was it smoke? He squinted, and wondered why they were there. They seemed to be moving in a pattern when the trails of smoke suddenly turned and drifted towards him. He debated whether to run from the strange thing, but shook his head. Smokes don't go around eating people. Even if it grew fangs and chased after him, Zoro could always cut it down. He was strong enough now. He could protect himself. But the thoughts in his head did nothing to answer the big question. Where was he? He couldn't remember how he got here, or where here was. As far as he was concerned, he'd been walking along this boring, green plain for hours with no way out, and the dojo was nowhere in sight._

_There was a nagging feeling probing in his skull though, but no matter how hard he tried to pry the gates that sealed it shut, he would be thrown back to the present with a throbbing headache, back into this… forever evening world, filled with nothing but waves of green. It didn't help he had green hair at this point. If anyone was searching for him in a helicopter, they'd probably mistaken him for grass. Zoro scowled at that thought. But now wasn't the time to think about that. He couldn't shake the feeling off that something was wrong. Something was missing… Something-_

_**The face of a girl with short, black hair flashed across his eyes, grinning triumphantly above him.**_

_-important, something…_

'_**Let's make a promise! One of us will become the greatest swordsman in the world! Let's see who can reach that goal first!'**_

… _Kuina?_

'_**Let me… have that sword.' **_

'_**Kuina's katana?'**_

… _Sensei?_

'_**I will take her share of training and become even stronger! So strong that my name can be heard all the way to heaven!'**_

_That's right… Zoro fingered for the familiar shape of the sword he carries with him all the time, but found nothing but thin air. How on earth could he not notice Wado missing?_

_Suddenly, the swirls in the cloud blended into whirlpool of smokes, the orange sky darkening into something fiercer, dangerous. Everything above him began shifting, changing, and Zoro could hear them whisper, voices faint but urgent, shouts scratching his ears in crescendo, until he could finally hear the words as clear as day. The sky boomed in resonance, the swirls morphing into an image._

'_**I will become the greatest swordsman in the world!'**_

_He saw sensei, among the dancing flames. His normally carefree smile was replaced with an alarmed look, screaming something at Zoro. But the boy couldn't hear what he was saying…_

'_**Kuina's soul and dreams… I leave them to you.'**_

_Sensei? What was happening? Why are you…_

'_**Zoro, run!'**_

'_**I'm not leaving sensei behind!'**_

'_**I'm stronger now! I will protect you with this sword!'**_

'_**Don't be stupid, Zoro! Whatever you do, do not let them have Wado!'**_

'_**Goodbye, Koshiro.'**_

'SENSEI!'

'EEEEK!' A scream resounded in the air, followed by the sound of someone crashing to the ground. Zoro turned his head (why did it feel so heavy?) towards the source and found a girl with pink hair tied into long pigtails, dressed in a white long-sleeved shirt and pink skirt staring up at him with large, shocked eyes.

_She looks like a doll, _he thought, taking note of the impossibly pale skin.

'Who… are you?' he rasped.

The girl stumbled to her feet. 'I should be asking you that! What the heck were you shouting for, anyway! You scared me!'

'Where is… our sword?'

'Daddy told me not to tell you where it is!' She stuck her tongue out in defiance. 'Besides, you're in no condition to be waving them around! You're still sick!' Perona crossed her arms, hoping to end the argument right there and then.

Zoro growled. _These people… were they the ones who attacked the dojo?_ Slowly and mechanically, he lifted himself to a sitting position, glaring at the stubborn girl_. If she was one of them…_ 'Give me my sword.' When he shifted his feet and touched the ground, a sharp pain rippled through his abdomen and he clasped at it, groaning. The world around him sloshed and spun, but Zoro focused only on the girl in front of him. With a trembling hand, he reached out. He couldn't let them have their sword, even if he had to kill himself twenty times over to get it.

'Wado… Where… is our… sword?' Zoro frowned at how weak he sounded. He wasn't hurt that badly, was he? But it didn't stop him from directing his scariest glare to the enemy before him.

The girl squeaked at the fierce look in his eyes and grabbed for the nearest thing to shield herself with – a folded towel. This boy looked like he would pounce at her and rip her throat off at any second even though she hasn't done anything! 'Don't get up! If you come any closer, I'll… I'll throw this… thing at you!' Oh, she didn't expect this. She didn't expect such violent behavior from such a cute kid! That's it, Perona decided. This boy was uncute! Cute things don't try to attack her! They were her friends!

'Give… me…' The boy managed to stay on his feet but swayed precariously. Perona would have rushed to put him to bed if it wasn't for the disturbing glint in his eyes.

'Don't come any closer!' she backed away slowly with every advance, praying that wherever Mihawk was he'd come back now! Why, why was he always gone at the most important of times?

'My… sword…' The tension around the boy built with every word, every step, and Perona finally snapped. With a piercing scream, she hurled the towel at the boy. It flew across the air and landed with a "fwump!" on his head. It didn't have the effect she desired, however, as the boy seemed to not notice the item draping on his green head, and pushed forward with another step.

Perona looked around frantically for any potentially harm-inducing objects she could lift but found none. She started to shake in terror. This boy was a demon! How on earth was he able to move with all his injuries? Her father was so sure when he said the boy wouldn't _wake up _for the first few days, and it's barely been a day when she found him slumped on their doorstep! Oh, if only she had her stuffed toy minions to defend her now!

But then the boy wobbled. The hand on his abdomen clenched as he gasped for breath, and in a fraction of a second he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Perona stared in silence, utterly stunned.

'… What just happened?'

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

'Mihawk.' Said man nodded to acknowledge the large man beside him, a bible cradled in his hand as he always did. They were attracting the attention of passer-bys in this park with the size of the large man beside him, but he wasn't bothered. Bartholomew Kuma was a walking magnet wherever he went, with his emotionless face and bear-like features.

Kuma pushed his sunglasses. 'So what is it this time?'

'I need your help to poke into government matters.' Clean and straightforward. That was how interactions between them always were: simple and clear. After all, they were just business partners.

'Can't you just do it yourself? The World Government trust you enough to share important information with you, since you are a free agent working with them.'

'They don't trust me, not the way they trust you, Kuma. They know I still have allies from the Underground, and it won't take me a heartbeat to go against them if they ever threaten their lives. But you, you have given them everything. You're no longer the free agent you once claimed yourself to be, not since Vegapunk.' He glanced sideways at the man next to him, feeling wary of the reaction the words might evoke. 'You can gain access to information I'm sure I cannot.'

But Kuma seemed unperturbed. '… I understand. So, what is it you need?'

'Have you heard of the recent fire in Shimotsuki Village, just outside the city?'

'You mean the one the government is investigating for arson?'

'Yes. I need detailed information regarding their progress.'

Kuma studied the man's face for a moment. 'Do you suspect Koshiro's involvement with the Revolutionaries the reason he died?'

Mihawk paused. '… I'm not sure. That's why I need your help. You were involved with the Revolutionaries, and I'm sure there's a reason why the government's involving themselves in the matter at hand. Also…' His eyes narrowed into slits. '… Koshiro's life might not be the only one at stake.'

They both sat in silence on the park bench and waited for Kuma's final decision. Finally, he stood up.

'… I will try my best.'

Mihawk closed his eyes and felt the sweeping gratitude carry him away. 'Thank you.'

Kuma merely nodded and turned to leave. 'One more thing.' Mihawk perked his head up to signal his attention. 'That green-haired child you're taking care of… Watch out for him. I'm afraid there are people after him.'

The man froze. _How… _'How did you-?'

But Kuma was already gone.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

When Zoro woke, his mind was in a haze. He moved his head groggily against the soft pillow, staring up at the ceiling.

_What… happened?_

He tried to lift his hand, but a sharp pain coursed through his body with the action, so he settled with trying to figure things out. He remembered…

_Orange sky, green fields…_

A strange dream, and then… Did he wake up? What happened afterwards?

_Pink hair, pale skin…_

… A girl?

'_Daddy told me not to give you the sword.'_

Then it all came crashing down at him.

'Wado…' He sprang up despite the pain, looking around the room. 'Where's my-' The boy froze when he saw a tall, muscular man sitting next to his bed, dressed in an unbuttoned long sleeve shirt and loose trousers. However, his look of genuine curiousity instantly morphed into one of pure rage at the sight of Kuina's sword in his grip.

For Mihawk, he'd returned a few hours ago when Perona came shouting at his ears about how the boy woke and how he tried to kill her (Mihawk somewhat doubted that statement) and how he demanded for his sword, and decided to spare both of them the pain (his ear and Perona's sanity) and took charge of the boy. He watched as the boy stirred groggily and seemed confused for awhile, before his eyes drifted up and caught his gaze, he stiffened. When the gaze travelled to the sword on his lap… Mihawk thought he saw something dark, something demonic and monstrous in those eyes, but the look was gone when he blinked.

'Give me… our sword.' Zoro snarled. So this was the 'daddy' the girl mentioned before. Was he the one in charge of burning down the dojo? He felt bubbling rage rising rapidly in his throat.

'You are not in any condition to hold this sword, kid.' The fading lights from the glass windows shadowed the piercing golden eyes of this man, serving to look more menacing, dyeing the room in an eerie colour of orange…

The colour of fire…

… The colour of sensei's death.

With a roar, Zoro sprang from the bed and wrestled the man, but Mihawk countered with a powerful swipe of his hand, sending the weakened boy toppling to the ground. Zoro gasped at the impact when an electrifying pain jolted from his back, shooting through the rest of his body. He groaned and sat up slowly, glowering at the domineering figure staring down at him. Those eyes… Those glowing eyes that saw through his soul… he couldn't help the slight shiver under the intimidating expression.

'Give back… Give back Wado…' he cringed at how pleading that sounded.

Mihawk narrowed his eyes. 'Last I remembered, this was Koshiro's family heirloom.' He still had no idea whether the child was a friend or foe, and he wasn't going to risk the chance of aiding an enemy of Koshiro. 'So unless he had a son I didn't know of, I have doubts that this belongs to you.' He tucked the white katana into his coat, out of view, and Zoro felt a surge of panic tightening his throat. If he loses Wado, it'd be like losing what was left of Kuina and sensei in this world…

… It would be losing their souls, their dreams and expectations.

'_Whatever you do, do not give them Wado!'_

It would be letting them down. It would be breaking a promise.

No, he simply couldn't. He couldn't lose Wado. That would be giving up their memories to the hands of the devil, and Zoro could care less what the devil wanted. He wouldn't allow anyone to take away what belonged to them. Couldn't let those evil, cowardly men get away with _their _precious treasure!

Mihawk saw the boy trembling, and thought that the battle was over. He was too weak anyway, with the injuries and fever plaguing him. He was impressed the child could wake up from it, but that only added to the danger of deliriums. From his unfocused and muddled eyes, he guessed the child was only half-aware of what was happening, which was bad because a delirious person meant a person relying only on instincts. But then he saw the animalistic insanity shining past the misty silver, clouding his vision as his head whipped up, the tensing of muscles and low growl emanating from his vocal cords pointed to him like he was rallying for one final drive. Mihawk reached for his Kogatana around his neck and clasped around the familiar dagger, heart beating calmly in anticipation.

So when the child raced forward, tiny fist drew back for a punch, Mihawk reacted like what he'd do in a fight, and stabbed the boy in the chest.

Perona screamed from the edge of the door – oh, so she was still worried for the boy – when Zoro stilled. But the man wasn't worried. The knife hadn't gone deep, he made sure of it. But any deeper it might puncture his heart and… Well, Mihawk really didn't want to venture in that direction.

He expected the boy to be frightened at the threatening display, or furious that he'd been successfully outmatched. Perhaps the boy might cry from the pain, the hysteria his eyes dissipating into clearer calm, and retreat with more common sense than he came. Or he might just crumple to the ground in exhaustion. All the scenarios seemed possible, and Mihawk cherished any of them for it would mean the boy would be out of action and he could finally wrap the day up without any casualties.

But to his surprise, the child did not budge. He stood there, proudly, the delirious look he held before was gone, replaced by an eerie stillness in those silver orbs.

'Do you want this knife to go through your heart? Why aren't you stepping back?' Why was he not backing away? Any sane person would have surrendered by now. Also, he wasn't keen on being pinned for child murder, that would mean saving this child was a wasted action. It would be a complete waste of his medicines, bandages, and in general, his precious time. He wanted this boy to be worth saving.

'_Watch out for him. There are people after him.'_

Zoro gazed back evenly at the powerful man, not a hint of fear in his eyes. He saw the night of the promise, when he and Kuina swore to become the greatest in the world, swore never to lose again unless it was in the hands of each other. He wouldn't step back, not when everything he lived for was at stake. So he took a deep breath. 'If take a single step back... I'd feel that I had broken my promise, and that I will not be able to stand here again.'

Mihawk nodded. 'Yes. That is called losing.'

Zoro chuckled. 'That's why I can't step back. I swore to myself never to lose again, to the owner of that sword.' He gaze flickered to Wado. 'Everything I have left of her, and sensei, are all wrapped Wado.' His eyes turned steely. 'That's why I cannot let you have it. I don't know why you're after Wado, but handing it over would be disgracing the honour and hard work of my best friend and sensei!'

Honour. Does this child understand its true value? Was it the lives and honour of those precious to him he was fighting for?

That would leave one question unasnwered. 'How did you obtain this sword?'

Zoro couldn't care less anymore. Let the enemy know! Let them understand his resolve! Let them fear him! Call him a demon as they did that night! 'Sensei gave it to me after she died. It's a symbol of our promise to become the greatest swordsman in the world. That's why I will never back down!' A ball of fire erupted in his pupils, a ferocious determination grappling at his instincts and giving him renewed strength. No. Never again.

'Even if it means you will lose your life?'

'If I have to lose, I'd rather die!' Zoro would die rather than break his promise! His promise to Kuina… His memories of that night… It was all he had left of Kuina that mattered. It was all he had left of his dream… And he would rather throw himself back into those who had murdered his sensei than to lose this will, the reason he lived for.

_Sensei... Kuina… _His heart clenched at that thought, and he balled his hands into a fist, trying to quell the uncontrollable shaking that took over his body.

To say Mihawk was surprise was the understatement of the century. He found himself staring at a younger version of himself, and recalled a forgotten time before the greatest swordsman, before Perona, a time when his will ricocheted as strongly as this child's, back when his dream meant everything to him, the reason he lived for without it he would be naught but a common man wasting his existence. _To choose to die, rather than live with regret…_ 'Tell me your name, kid!'

'Roronoa Zoro.' There was no hesitation in his voice, no hint of panic. Just silent stillness.

'Roronoa Zoro.' He tasted the name at his lips, and withdrew the dagger. Zoro grunted while Perona rushed to his side, bandages and antiseptic in hand. 'I haven't met someone with such a strong will like you for a long time.' He felt his chest swell with pride at the privilege to have finally found one worthy of his title. The man bent down and so that the he was on eye-level with the boy. 'My name is Dracule Mihawk, current holder of the title The Greatest Swordsman in the World.' Zoro's eyes shot impossibly wide at that statement, and his jaw dropped to the floor. Perona shrieked when it almost hit her. 'Don't do that!' she scolded.

'Perona,' He gestured at the girl. 'found you unconscious on my doorstep last night, and we decided to take you in. You are safe for now.' He reached for the Wado and pulled out the blade. Judging from the admiring look he was given, he concluded it was probably safe to return the sword. He wasn't allowed to keep a blade without her master's consent, anyway. He brought the sword up between the both of them. 'I can train you. I can take care of you until the day you are strong enough to defeat me, to claim the title from me. Do you dare challenge me, Roronoa Zoro?'

_'Watch out for him.'_

To be honest, Mihawk didn't know what he was doing. Raising Perona was already like hell to him, and there's a flitting doubt passing through his mind on whether he could really carry the burden of raising another child, especially one who has gone through hardships. He was no 'sensitive' man, nor was he by any means motherly. But Kuma's words rang clearly in his ears, and his heart already made up the decision. It screamed at him to keep the child, to raise him, for he deserved to be with a person who understood suffering, someone who wouldn't judge, someone who shares the ability to mould him into who he was meant to be. And if there was one thing Mihawk trusted more than anything in the world, it was his heart.

Zoro stared at the sword in wonder as Perona fussed over him with bandages, tracing over her quick handiwork. Then, he clasped at the hilt of the blade, and even though the fingers curled with hesitance and uncertainty, it was strong and firm, full of hopes and belief. When their eyes met, Mihawk was surprised to see the trust and gratitude directed at him, glimmering from the depths of his soul. The child, no, Zoro held Wado carefully in his hands, carried it slowly, running his hands gently on the blade as though trying to confirm that the moment was real… Then in one swift grip, hugged it close to his chest, tears pooling around his eyes as he looked down-

And Mihawk was reminded of his tender age, what he had lost in his short existence. Now, with the fury in his eyes dissipating, he saw the child hiding inside the man he tried to be: lonely and grieving and needing someone to hold him in his arms and comfort him and in this moment Mihawk witnessed the drive behind the ravaging fire he was moments ago, saw his pride and despair. The shining supernova and the dead water.

Perona straightened up and dusted her skirt, but before she could open her mouth and launch into another rant Mihawk signalled at her. The scolding could wait. He saw the worry and anger and confusion in her eyes and his gaze softened. 'It's late. Can you prepare dinner?' His eyes travelled back to Zoro's crouching form, and Perona instantly understood. She nodded and walked away, gently shutting the door behind her, not before sparing a last worried glance at the boy.

The Greatest Swordsman in the World looked down and focused on Zoro, saw the tears spilling from his tightly shut eyes, dripping down his chin. His body shivered violently from the effort to hold back the sobs bursting from his chest, and occasionally he'd let out a choking sound and hugged Wado closer like it was his only companion left in the world.

Mihawk blinked once, then gently, almost apologetically, scooped the boy onto his arm so that he was sitting on it, face buried into his shoulder. One hand crawled up to pat the boy's hair, and he began rocking the boy. He looked up at the ceiling, gazing blankly at the dark lamp, and thought about how thankful he was that Shanks wasn't here.

'It's alright to cry,' he declared to the room.

That seemed to tap something in Zoro and the boy began to wail. 'Kuinaaaaaa! Senseiiiii!' Zoro bawled into Mihawk's shoulder and let it all go, the terror striking his heart, the growing emptiness eating away at his soul, the dark agony that threatened to swallow him whole and leave him in a world of blame and regret. Mihawk just stared ahead and stroked the boy's back. He sat on the bed, and leaned against the wall, listened to the raw misery and gaping loneliness and ferocious promises echoing from those sobs, saw the haunting shadows hovering over him in maniacal glee at the boy's pain, and he glared at them, hands twitching to his sword to slice them into dust for ever tormenting his soul. Strangely, he found that he didn't mind it. This felt right. It felt needed. So for the whole evening, Mihawk just sat there and stared at the dying sun from his bedroom window, cradling Zoro even long after the crying stilled and the boy snored gently in arms.

And Mihawk knew it _was_ the right thing to do, because Zoro didn't remember much the next day. His fever broke, and the boy felt strangely at ease. And for the first time that night since Kuina's death, Zoro dreamt of a cloudless blue sky.

* * *

><p><strong>Review? 8D<strong>


	3. SHOPPING

**Wow. This chapter came out a lot earlier than I expected. I've been struggling with this for a few days before one night, after returning from my grandma's, I just sat down and wrote all of this in three hours. o.o Ah well, can't complain now. XD Feel honoured I'm staying up till 2am for this chapter, my readers! Think of this as a thank you for your lovely support? 8D You are all my precious treasures! ^^**

**Now on with the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: SHOPPING<strong>

Zoro didn't know which was worse. Shopping with Mihawk, or wearing his silly hat in public.

It was a close, undecisive battle, this one, full of complications and debatable incidents. Zoro's young mind wasn't able to comprehend the sheer ludicrosity of it all, from the incredibly large building to the incredibly bright ceilings to the incredibly white tiled-floor to the incredibly cramp corridors and last but not least to the incredibly stupid people who kept fawning and cooing over how adorable he was, no matter how hard he glared at them. He was eight years old, damnit! Not some silly little five year old giggling over the happy faces made by old people or groups of young high school girls. Furthermore, he was a swordsman! He was supposed to be scary and dangerous, not-not _cute_! Even the word tasted like venom in his tongue.

And he didn't know which was more annoying: the smug look Mihawk gave him whenever people came over and pinched his cheeks or the fact that most people cowered at the older man's presence and not _his_. The man walked like he was the king of the world: many people seemed to know who he was and gave way to him as soon as he came into view. The murderous aura reeked from the man like the stench of a beggar who didn't remember when he'd had his last bath. And the fact there was little Zoro – tiny and wearing Mihawk's famous oversized hat and all – tottering uncertainly behind him with a scowl, only served to boost his attention, and soon people were whispering among each other.

'Is that… Hawk-eyes, the Greatest Swordsman in the World?'

'Who is that little boy behind him?'

'A new son, perhaps?'

'Adopted him, maybe?'

'Well, it couldn't be his biological. Last I remembered his wife-'

Zoro didn't catch the last of that sentence, because suddenly Mihawk grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and pulled him up into his arms.

'H-Hey!' A flush came over his face as Zoro flailed his arms and legs in the air before being nestled closer to the larger man. 'I can walk fine on my own!'

'You're too slow, kid. Keep this up and I'll lose you in no time. There are a lot of people here today.'

Zoro had to agree with him. He'd never seen so many people together in one place in his life! At most, sensei's dojo would be filled with up to twenty students in one class, and back then it'd already been so cramped that students kept hitting each other by accident on occasion. It didn't help that sensei always stressed on the importance of space in training to cultivate the right… right…

Ah, he'd never understood what he was talking about anyway.

'_Whatever you do, do not give them Wado!'_

The words rang in his ears again like an echo, constantly chiming like a bell to remind him over and over, the sacred duty left to him by his teacher. Conversation from this morning came back to him and he scowled.

'_No! I'm not leaving Wado behind!' Zoro shouted, hugging his white sword closer. 'I will protect it with my life!'_

_Mihawk sighed exasperatedly. 'Perona will take care of it for you. Besides, it's not like anyone is after your sword. They are common enough in this house that even the greatest thieves have something more valuable to steal other than your sword.'_

_The words stung Zoro, and he felt personally insulted. This was Kuina's sword! To talk of it as if it has no value, when it held everything he treasured in its spirit… 'If you can carry your sword around wherever you go, I can too!' The words were angry, bitter._

_Mihawk's eyes narrowed dangerously. 'I, am leagues different away from you, boy. I am now world-acknowledge by both light and darkness as the greatest swordsman in the world, and all knows that I carry a sword wherever I go.' Except the government who disapproved of this action, but since when did he care? 'To have a child carry a sword around will only attract attention, and pursuers from that night might recognize you from that.' Zoro stiffened at that. 'It is best to keep it in Perona's care. She knows how to handle a sword.' His tone was final, boring no more argument, and Mihawk snatched the sword from his hands and strode upstairs without a word, leaving the boy standing alone in the living room._

Zoro felt wrong. He felt like he was cheating on his sensei, whose last words to him – his last wish – was to keep the sword safe. How was he supposed to know if Wado was safe in the hands of a stranger? What if someone attacked the house, or a thief broke in? Perona won't be able to defend herself and an idiot would have to be blind to not recognize the value of that sword. His muscles tensed as the possible situations, the worst case scenarios that could happen flashing before his eyes.

_Laughter was heard loud and clearly as Mihawk's house was burned down. The flames dancing, taunting him just like the other night, painting the sky with a deep, ugly orange. Perona's body lying on the ground, dead and bleeding from trying to protect what was supposed to be his burden._

'_We got the sword! We finally got Wado, boss! It's ours now! It's ours!' A shadow danced gleefully in the dark alleys, then, as if spotting him, he turned around, a sinister smile curving on his face. _

'_Thank you for your help, Roronoa Zoro. Now we can finally proceed with boss' plans!' He thought he saw a flash of cat-like eyes glinting from the shadows of the flames. 'You've faaaailed~!'_

'Focus, Roronoa.'

Those words snapped him back to reality and Zoro jerked wildly, panting heavily as he lurched forward. He felt a large hand grab him by the shoulder, and it was only from the firm, unmoving hand pressing against him then did he realized he was shaking.

Was that… real?

'Wado Ichimonji is not going anywhere, kid.' Mihawk sighed heavily. He didn't want the boy to know this, less he might demand it from him, but it seemed the child would not be reassured unless he was completely certain that the sword was safe. 'It's hanging on my belt inside my coat. You need not worry yourself to death.'

Zoro's eyes widened and darted down to the man's hip. From the large, long, loose, swishing coat, he couldn't see anything hidden inside, but then he saw it, the tiny bulge against his coat, barely visible but from what Zoro could make out was the long, slender body of Wado Ichimonji.

A wave of relief washed over him and he felt himself relax. The sword was here, in the care of the Greatest Swordsman in the World. There was no longer a need to worry.

The boy let himself be carried and tried to ignore the blatant looks of disbelief and surprise from on-lookers like they were one-eyed freaks from the circus, and silently thanked the world when they finally reached the departmental store for children. Mihawk strode to a nearby salesgirl.

'Good morning!' she chirped, though Zoro could see a slight tensing in her frame. Zoro couldn't blame her though. Mihawk really did look like someone who would decapitate anyone without a blink at first sight.

'I'm here to look for clothes suitable for ten year-olds.'

'… I'm eight, Mihawk. Eight.'

'Eight, ten, whatever. Same thing.' The man rolled his eyes. 'Any clothes that would fit this small kid ('I'm not small!'), including underwear.' Zoro spluttered, and Mihawk turned to him with a raised eyebrow. 'Or do you go commando, Roronoa?' If possible, Zoro's face went redder.

'D-don't go saying things like that in public!' he hissed. 'Of course I wear underwear!' He buried his face in his hands in despair. Sooner or later this idiot would be the death of him! One day, Roronoa Zoro, the future greatest swordsman in the world, was not going to die in a blaze of glory like he wanted, or peacefully on a bed like he wished. No, Roronoa Zoro was going to die from embarrassment! He could see the headlines taunting him now: 'Greatest Swordsman in the World died of Embarrassment'. He'd be the world's laughing stock!

The salesgirl giggled at the display, and Zoro shot her a glare. The girl only giggled harder. 'Follow me, sir. I'll show you the latest collection we have for cute little boys.' The girl's eyes drifted from the tall man and locked onto Zoro's, and she gave him a wink. The boy recoiled in disgust, his face heating up further before his brain registered it could no longer handle the absurdity of it all and buried his face into Mihawk's shoulder.

The older man smirked. 'Shy, Roronoa?'

Zoro punched him half-heartedly on his chest. 'Shut up. I bet you're doing this on purpose.'

'My, my. Since when have you grown so smart, hmmm?'

The boy mumbled something unintelligible to his ears and snorted, leaving Mihawk a little lost. Did he just tease the boy? He shook the thought away from his head. Better not venture there. That was dangerous territory. If there was one thing Mihawk wished to cut sometimes, it was some of his own damn thoughts. The self was the one enemy that cannot be defeated with weapons, and the most capable of defeating oneself. And Mihawk wasn't going to let it have the satisfaction of bringing him down.

'Here we are, sir.' The girl pointed to the small section of tiny clothes. 'You'll be able to find everything you're looking for here. The changing rooms are there.' She pointed to a few cubicles at the corner of the section. 'Feel free to browse. If you have any enquiries, please consult one of our staff members.' With that, the girl walked away, not before giving a googly-eyed glance at the boy in his arms.

'You can come out now. She's gone.' Mihawk knelt and placed Zoro on the ground.

Zoro stuck his tongue out at the retreating figure and scowled. '… I don't like her.'

Mihawk felt the corner of his mouth twitch. 'Is that so? She seemed quite fond of you. Maybe I should bring you here next time to play with her, wouldn't you love that?' The look of unadulterated terror plastered on the boy's face was absolutely priceless. 'I'm sure the both of you would have the best of times.'

Zoro spluttered again. 'H-Hell no! She's creepy! She looked like she was about to eat my face!'

'I'm sure that's just you, Roronoa.' Mihawk ran a sweeping glance through the section. This shouldn't be too hard. 'Now. Time to get down to business.'

**xXxXxXxxXxXxxXx**

Mihawk was very, VERY wrong.

He thought it'd be simple. Grab some clothes, some pants, some underwear and off they go, free of this wretched place that reek of human incompetency that reminded him far too much of the red-haired idiot. But Zoro just had to prove him otherwise.

'No. Too flashy.'

It didn't help that the boy refused to wear anything other than black and white shirts. And there couldn't be more than two of them in this whole damn store.

'Zoro, it's blue in colour, the colour of serenity. How could it be flashy?'

'Cause it's blue.' Zoro deadpanned like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Mihawk ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. The boy was much more difficult to understand than he first thought. 'Just give it a try, boy. They don't have lots of bland clothing for boys your age, I'm afraid. Either choose one or walk around naked or in Perona's dresses. Your choice.'

Zoro frowned. He didn't like it. Sensei had always given him clothes in black and white. He said simplicity in life can bring about peace in one's mind. And all the time he spent with Kuina he'd never seen her wear anything else other than a simple white shirt and black shorts or trousers. If he wanted to become like her, a person who was unbeatable and fearless, he'd have to start with the basics and get into the 'right mind', right? But the choices he was left with wasn't very appealing.

'Why are there so many colours, anyway,' he muttered. 'It's un-needed.'

'Apparently some people might find it boring.' Mihawk stood up and stared blankly at the blue shirt he was holding. It had the picture of a shark swimming happily printed on the front. This was stupid. The last time he checked he'd never seen a shark _smile _when they swim. That would be creepy. 'If you don't like flashy colours, then I suggest choosing colours like green or blue. They can calm one's mind.' Yeah, he'd prefer that. Didn't need anymore screaming in his house, he did not.

He also noticed Zoro avoided the colour orange like it was some sort of plague, but decided not to say anything.

The boy crossed his arms and grumbled. 'Fine.' He snatched the shirt from Mihawk's arms. 'I'll take this then.' He stared at the shark and grinned. It looked cool, anyway.

Mihawk's mood lifted. Things went quite smoothly after that. Shirts were chosen followed by trousers and shorts (they didn't have a lot of colours anyway, most of them were either dark brown or dark blue, and bland just like the boy liked it to be), but then his hopes were shattered when they reached the underwear section.

Zoro, in all honestly, _refused_ to go near that section, his face went as red as a tomato.

Mihawk felt like tearing his hair off in frustration. 'It's just underwear, for goodness sake! Man up, boy!'

'No!' he shouted. 'I'm not going anywhere near that… that… accursed place!'

The taller man blinked. Where did he learn such a word? 'Why are you so insistent against facing your fears, Roronoa? It's not like it would open its jaws and eat you!'

'But it's embarrassing!' Zoro shouted, voice shaking slightly, and he tried to pry away from Mihawk's vice-like grip on his arm, covering his face with the other. He would never be caught dead staring at underwear. NO WAY IN HELL. OR HEAVEN. OR ON EARTH. OR BEYOND. He would never be able to face himself again, afterwards. Never!

Mihawk rolled his eyes. 'Embarrassing or not, it has to be done. Would you rather walk around in commando? It's not like my underwear fits yours anyway.' Zoro blanched violently at the thought of wearing Mihawk's underwear, and it frightened the boy so deeply he gave immediately. 'Fine! Fine! Just, just hurry!' Why, WHY did Mihawk have to do this? He'd rather face another humiliating defeat against Kuina than go through this! ... But the idea of wearing Mihawk's underwear just...

No, don't do this Zoro. Don't go there. Do not go into the white light, no matter how attractive it looked.

Thankfully, Mihawk kept to his word and didn't take long. He let Zoro test out a few of the underwear by himself in the changing rooms (the boy had practically flew in there and threatened to castrate Mihawk ten times if he ever peeked and it took him ten minutes to be able to persuade the boy that no, he wasn't going to peek and no, he wasn't interested in _that _and of course he won't tell a soul that he was doing something like this) and after finding the right size, chose a few other bland colours of underwear. Zoro was extremely grateful that he didn't chose anything disgusting like a pink underwear or that smiley-faced one in the corner. He'd burn them if that ever happened, but walking around in commando wasn't his kind of thing either. Both scenarios would lead to very unhappy endings and probably a very, very pissed Dracule Mihawk.

When the older man straightened up and turned towards the cashier Zoro dashed off from the section like his life depended on it. The man would have thought the boy was running away from the devil himself. He suppressed the urge of an evil grin. Now he'd found a weakness in this Roronoa Zoro kid. No doubt the information would it be useful in later events, he thought as he stashed the thought away into his 'Information used to blackmail children' mental box. He walked towards the cashier and handed the man the pile of clothes, and stared longingly at the store exit, feeling the excitement pumping in his veins like a drug. A few more minutes and he'd be out of this hell hole.

'Here's your change, sir. Thank you for purchasing and please come again.'

Mihawk grabbed the bag of clothes and rushed to the exit.

Only to realise that the little boy following him earlier was nowhere to be seen.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

… Where the hell was he.

Zoro didn't remember a playground when he first entered the building. He'd been in such a rush to leave that (Wrong! Defiling! Evil!) section and to leave the store and leave the _building and away from those insane people that seemed to fill the place _that he'd ran to the closest exit he could find. And last he remembered he came in from a place filled with cars, not children play-things. Zoro shrugged. Maybe he was so awed by the large building when he first arrived that he didn't notice. He walked towards a nearby swing and plopped onto it with a sigh.

It was strange, that the place was empty. Sure, it only had two swings and a slide, but that didn't mean the playground wasn't fun. There weren't a lot of playgrounds back where he lived, but if you walked twenty minutes into town there'd be a small playgrounds with swings and monkey bars and slides on a large green field. He smiled at the fond memory. He'd never like playgrounds, with all the screaming and squealing children around, and he'd rather dedicate his time to training anyway. But sometimes Kuina would ask (force) him to accompany her down to the playground, and he'd spent hours training on the monkey bars.

'… _Zoro? What are you doing?'_

'_Training.' A grunt._

_He could feel her eyes rolling in response. 'Relax a little, Zoro. You've been training all day. Working yourself to death is just gonna make it easier for me to beat you, you know.'_

_Zoro sulked. 'I'm gonna beat you one day, just you wait!'_

'_Whatever you say, Zoro.' The girl sat on one of the swings. 'Come on. You want to train your hands muscles, don't you? Try pushing me, and let's see how far I'll go.' _

_Push Kuina? Suddenly, an image of her screaming her lungs out in fear as he pushed her high into the sky, the whole swing creaking loudly in response flashed before his eyes._

'… _What's with that smirk, Zoro?'_

_Well, he had nothing to lose. The boy jumped off the bars and tottered to the girl, placed his arms on her back, and with a yell, push as hard as he could._

_Kuina flew up into the air, the ropes on the swings tweaking in protest with the amount of force he used. It slowed and suspended in the air for awhile, before rushing back downwards towards Zoro who was prepared in a battle stance, and he pushed her again, harder. She soared up, higher, higher with every push, and Zoro was suddenly disappointed that even at that height, even with the bars of the swings trembling with the momentum, Kuina made not a sound._

_Suddenly, she broke into wild, happy laughter._

_Zoro paused at that sound. It glided gently through his ears like the sound of the river flowing, gentle and bright and so full of joy it struck something in Zoro, and he found himself marveling at the other girl, laughing so merrily for the first time he'd ever heard her since they met, short hair billowing gracefully in the wind, eyes closed and face so content, so ecstatic it reminded Zoro of sunflowers basking in the sun at dawn and beautiful violets swaying in the wind._

_Kuina turned around and shouted. 'You're good at this, Zoro! Push me again! Harder!'_

_Zoro felt his face twist into a smile. 'You betcha.' _

_They stayed like this for hours and hours, with Zoro pushing and Kuina swinging and with the both of them laughing like there wasn't a care in the world. In that moment they were just them. Zoro and Kuina. Two children laughing together as they played. Not neck-to-neck rivals bent on surpassing one another. Not the two stars of the dojo, whispered among the students as the strong, the powerful, the unbeatable. No one was here to judge them. In that moment, Zoro and Kuina were just friends, happy and having fun in the company of each other._

_And Zoro thought then that life really can be perfect._

'Helloooooooooooooooo!'

Zoro startled and almost fell off the swing with the large, all-too close face inches away from his. 'What did you do that for?' he bristled.

'Shishishishishi.' The boy giggled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. 'You looked like you were daydreaming, so I decided to wake you up!' He waved at Zoro. 'Hi! I'm Monkey D. Luffy! You can call me Luffy!' he chirped.

Zoro stared at the boy. He was dressed in really weird clothes for someone from the city, with the straw hat on his head pushing against short, black hair, a red vest and knee-cut jeans he looked more like the son of a farmer than a city child. Zoro also noted the few plasters across the boy's face and arms. '… Zoro. Roronoa Zoro.'

The boy grinned at him. 'Yosh! Let's be friends!'

… What. 'Uh… Um.' He couldn't say no to that friendly smile, could he? Come to think of it, no one had smiled at him like that since… Well, since forever, really. And no one had actually asked him to be his friend. To say he was taken aback at the kind, innocent gesture was an understatement. 'Er… Sure.'

His grin turned into a happy smile. 'Shishishishi, I'm so happy! And I like your hat too!'

'Eh?' Zoro brushed his fingers against the wide-brimmed black hat, decorated with a bluish-white plum at the corner. 'It's… not mine.'

'Oh.' The boy deflated. 'It's okay! This hat isn't really mine too!' He removed the hat from his head and stared fondly at it. 'Shanks gave it to me when he adopted me and Ace, so it's now my precious treasure!' He stuffed the hat back onto his head and grinned. 'Let's play!'

_His smile is so… so bright. _That was all Zoro could think at the moment. He didn't even register Luffy running behind him until he felt two palms against his back. 'Wait- what are you-' Before he knew it the hands pushed at him, and suddenly, the sky was rushing towards him with tremendous speed and it felt like he was floating up in the air.

'Wow! You're up so high!' He heard a faint voice below him.

He felt gravity pulling at him and Zoro rushed to the ground, still too shocked at what's happening when the hands pushed at him again, sending him flying higher and higher-

_-just like when he'd stare at her flying higher and higher, so happy, so carefree, her melodious laughter ringing in his ears and Zoro thought it was the best song in the world-_

And then he was laughing. He laughed and laughed and laughed, and he couldn't even summon the will to stop himself. He felt so free, so high up like nothing in the world could bother him again. It was like being back in the playground where Kuina and he shared many wonderful memories together, when they were not swordsmen with honour and dignity but children free, free from all the worries in the world…

… And then he heard the boy down there laughing along with him, just as wild and bright and maybe a tad bit weird from Kuina's laughter. The child's laughter was contagious and Zoro felt the playful, mirthful emotions weaved into his laughter spreading throughout his system, and registered the soft, blooming feeling inside his chest. He'd almost forgotten this feeling, pushed only by his grief and determination to be the best of the best since her death, those fond memories locked away in a dark corner of his mind. He'd almost forgot what it felt like.

He was _happy_.

So Zoro laughed and laughed and laughed, and he didn't know how long they stayed there, pushed and pushing until Luffy grew tired, and when he came down there was something light about how he felt, like all the poison had been sucked out of his body and heavy stones lifted from his heart. He'd never felt so free in his life.

'Your turn, Zoro! Push me!' Luffy smiled through his pants.

Zoro grinned back. 'You asked for it.'

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

He didn't know how long they spent in the playground. They played and laughed for what seemed like hours before a loud shout came their way.

'Luffy!' Zoro turned and saw a boy, older with freckles, sprinting towards them. Luffy gave him a push from the slide and slid down after him himself, whamming Zoro on the back and almost pushing the both of them to the ground. He waved excitedly at the boy.

'Aaaaaaaaaaaaaacceee!'

The boy skidded next to them and the younger boy tackled him in a hug. 'Where had you been? Shanks had been worried sick!'

Luffy gave him a confused look. 'But I was here all afternoon!'

Ace groaned and slapped his forehead before he turned his gaze suspiciously at Zoro.

'And who the heck are you?'

Zoro felt his eye twitch.

'Shishishi! Don't be mean, Ace! This is Zoro, my new friend!' Luffy beamed.

'… A friend, eh?' Something steely in the older boy's eyes softened at that. 'So you've been taking care of my brother?'

'We were playing Ace! It was so much fun!' Ace gave one long look at Luffy's happy face and huffed. He turned to Zoro and, to the boy's surprise, bowed curtly. 'Thank you for taking care of my brother. I hope he hasn't been too much trouble to you.'

Pleasantly thrown off at the odd gesture, Zoro couldn't stop a goofy smile stretching across his face. 'Never.'

Ace gave him one last smile and turned to Luffy. 'Come on, Luf. We've gotta go back before Shanks die of a heart attack. He'd been panicking ever since you wandered off.' He guided Luffy away from the playground, and Zoro felt a tad bit disheartened, a little left behind at the end of what had been a wonderful day.

But then Luffy turned back and gave him another bright smile. 'See you, Zoro!' He waved. 'Let's play again, some day!'

Zoro smiled back and waved back. 'Okay!' He watched them retreat, their backs fading away, watched them until they disappeared from sight. Zoro then scratched his head and look down, the joyful smile never leaving his face.

'Roronoa Zoro!'

He snapped his head up to see Mihawk stomping furiously towards him, his eyes fierce with a dangerous glare. 'Where have you been?' he thundered. 'I've searched through all the shops for you and here you've been, sitting alone in the playground! Do you know how easily it could have been for someone to-' He stopped as he neared the boy, surprised at the look etched on the boy's face.

Zoro looked so… happy. So peaceful. His lips were quirked in a faint but gentle smile, and it was as though all the tension he had seen upon meeting the child disappeared, leaving him in a blissfully relaxed state.

'Sorry.' Zoro muttered, and a large yawn overcame him. He rubbed at his eyes sleepily, the excitement of the day finally taking its toll on him. Mihawk studied him awhile longer and sighed. He really couldn't stay mad at the boy. Not when he looked so… tranquil. Wonder what happened while he was gone. '… Just don't do it again.' He took Zoro by the hand and half-led, half dragged him back. 'Though how you ended up at the other side of the building still baffles me.'

Zoro looked around as they entered the shopping centre. There were a lot less people than there were this morning, and some of the shops were already closed. He stumbled slightly at Mihawk's fast pace. 'N-not so fast!' Then another yawn hit him, longer and wider than before.

Mihawk scrutinised him for a moment before taking him in his arms again. 'Learn to walk faster next time, boy. I can't go around carrying you like this all the time.' Zoro nodded against him and stared at the passing shops. He didn't like to be carried around either. He was a grown boy, but times like this he was glad he was still treated like a child. He watched blankly as things passed by him in a blur.

But then in the distance he saw it. A figure head perched on one of the shop windows, a black bandana tied on his head positioned just above his eyes.

… It looked _**so fucking badass**_.

He fingered the hat on his head and smiled. He thought of Luffy, thought of Mihawk and decided he might as well since everyone around him was wearing a hat, anyway.

'Wait,' he stopped the older man before they passed the shop.

'What is it now?' Mihawk asked, trying not to let the frustration leak into his voice. He was so anxious, so _eager _to get home after a long day of worrying he just couldn't bear staying in this _accursed _land any second longer.

Zoro smirked at him and stared at the bandana. 'There's one last thing I'd like you to get for me, if possible.' Mihawk followed his gaze.

Then he smirked. 'Not bad, kiddo. Not bad.'

Maybe shopping wasn't really so bad, after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Nyan nyan nyan nyan nyan review? 8D<strong>


	4. Escape from Prison

***emerges with a sword and a shield* Now, before you guys come to kill me in rage for making you wait so long for this chapter (2 weeks and 2 days, I've been keeping count XD), please let me thank you all for your patience in waiting for this chapter. If you want a reason, I've been debating for a week whether or not to write what will now be chapter 5 first (as I initially planned) or this chapter, which focuses on Zoro and Perona's feelings and their relationship. So warning for slightly OOC Zoro and no matter what you think... This isn't a ZoroxPerona fic. Don't go getting any ideas. ;D  
><strong>

**Okay. Now you can kill me. *runs***

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Escape from Prison<br>**

'CP9 has been summoned to deal with this case.'

The news itself was enough to send his mood pummeling to the darkest corners of the pit.

Mihawk furrowed his brows and closed his eyes. Now wasn't the time to worry the possibilities of what was to come, he told himself. He could worry later. Now, he needed to get focus his attention of obtaining the information accurately. So without a change in expression, the man leaned back against the sofa and crossed his legs, letting the information soak into the depths of his sharp mind.

'Have they printed the missing posters yet?'

Kuma shook his head. 'They are in the midst of doing so. I am sure you know what they are planning to do.' He shifted his gaze up towards the stairs. 'He is the only survivor.'

Mihawk crossed his arms. 'As if the government would let CP9 handle a simple case of a missing child. Something is up.'

'Have you found anything more about the boy, Hawk Eyes?'

The question left him hanging on a thread of hesitation. Should he tell him, what he had learned so far? Was he to be trusted? But one piercing, calculating look into Kuma's eyes swept away all doubt from his mind. The agent may now be bounded by the orders of the World Government, but he was still a man of honour, and Mihawk trusted him, just as he had trusted him all these years. He knew he understood what was at stake here. If otherwise, the man probably wouldn't consent to helping him.

'… He's been extremely protective of his sword.'

Kuma only frowned. '… I see.' He reached into his jacket and fished out a file, picking a few pieces of documents and scattering them neatly across the table. Mihawk picked the document in his hands and scanned the page with cautious slowness. Slowly but surely, his eyes narrowed dangerously.

'These documents are recordings of stolen swords all across the country, most of them of O Wazamono Grade Swords and above, from sword stores to museums.' Kuma pushed at his glasses before continuing. 'The government believes the reason for Koshiro's attack that night wasn't directed at him, but at the sword in his possession.'

'That doesn't explain why a secret agency like CP9 is involved.' The World's Greatest Swordsman had to suppress the urge to slice the documents – how dare treat good swords with such disrespect- and turned to Kuma. 'Aren't they only dispatched to do the government's dirty work?'

'Does that sound so impossible? Either way with CP9's involvement, the boy's life is definitely in the danger.' Kuma's face turned somber. 'The fact that we don't know the identities of the members makes them an even greater threat.' His expression turned thoughtful. 'Although, it also depends on your decisions. The boy has only been able to remain hidden thanks to you.'

Mihawk remained silent for a few moments, before he finally spoke. 'Thank you for coming today.'

Bartholomew Kuma stood up in response. 'I will keep you updated best as I can. Just focus on taking care of the boy. He needs to understand that he has to lie low -'

'ZORO? WHY THE HELL ARE YOU LIFTING THE BED?'

'I'M TRAINING! GO AWAY!'

'ARE YOU CRAZY? YOU'RE NOT HEALED, YOU IDIOT! PUT IT DOWN!'

'Eighty two… Eighty three… Eighty four…'

'DON'T IGNORE ME!'

'Hey, what are you- WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!'

A loud crashed resounded from the room upstairs and both men followed the sight of a chair flying through the air outside the window.

'WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR? YOU MADE ME DROP THE BED!'

'THAT WAS THE POINT, MORON!'

'YOU LOOKING FOR A FIGHT?'

'WAAAAAH! PUT THAT SWORD AWAY!'

'... Good luck.'

Mihawk's eye twitched.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Zoro had seen many crazy things in the short time of his life.

Men with guns and metal poles, burning houses, large-bear like men with paws that could send people flying with one punch…

But watching a girl dangling from the ceiling lamp for dear life was a different thing entirely.

'Get down here so I can slice you to pieces!' Zoro smiled innocently (which still looked like a demon instead of Devil itself), licking the blade of Wado with sadistic glee.

Perona shuddered and clutched the ceiling lamp tightly. 'You're crazy!'

At that moment, the lamp chose to creak loudly in protest, and the room went still.

Perona burst into tears. 'I don't wanna diiiiiiiiie!'

Zoro frantically place his sword at against the wall (he would've thrown it if it were anything else, but he wouldn't treat her with such disrespect), and backed… away… slowly. 'Fine! I won't kill you!' _For now_.'Just… come down!'

'Uh…' She stared down at the hard floor beneath her, and gulped. 'Catch me?'

Zoro's face went red in an instant and he spluttered, but Perona already relinquish her grip on the lamp. He saw the fingers slipped from the smooth, golden neck of the lamp, her small body tumbling rushing down to the ground, hair splaying everywhere, and Zoro could only think of the cold hard floor before he threw all common sense to the wind and ran forward, hands extended, but they barely brushed the corners of her skirt as she descended, and he realised it would be too late unless he did something drastic-

So he threw himself forward.

And was crushed by Perona's not-so-insignificant weight.

The paaaaaaaain.

'Ow… You're… heavy…' Zoro grunted.

Perona smacked him upside the head. 'That's rude!' she shouted, but settled comfortably on top of him. 'Besides, you're the reason I was up there. Serves you right!'

The door creaked open. '… What's going on in here?'

Both children stiffened, eyes wide, when they turned stiffly to greet the blank face of Mihawk from the doorway.

'Uhhhh…' Both children started simultaneously.

Mihawk drifted his gaze from the (oddly positioned) kids, to the askew bed at the corner of the room, to the broken window and scattering glass on the floor.

He sighed. He didn't remember how many times he's sighed from the course of meeting Zoro, but he knew today won't be the last of it. '… I'm going to have to do something about this.' He thought back to Kuma's words earlier-

_Lie low._

-and an idea planted itself into his brain. It was impossible and outrageous and might eventually destroy the whole house, but as far as he knew if it worked it would be the fastest and greatest method to get them to shut up.

So with a proud air Mihawk strode to the heap and lifted both Zoro and Perona in each arm, ignoring the loud protests from the two children as he walked down the hallway and kicked the door to Perona's room opened, and deposited them on the carpeted floor.

'Listen.' Mihawk gave the iciest glare he could manage, and both children cowered involuntarily. 'You are NOT leaving this room until you can find it in yourselves to get along,.'

Zoro and Perona's jaw dropped to the ground.

'WHAAAAT?' Their screams could have easily burst his eardrums, had he not protected his ears with his hands. 'It's final. We can't have you smashing the house up like that.' Then his glare turned icy again. 'No buts.' The glint in his eyes promised death just as painful as his sword would. Both children shuddered and leaned towards each other in comfort… before realizing they were possibly _cuddling _each other and skittered to opposite ends of the room, crossed their arms and glared at the wall with their might.

Mihawk ran a hand across his face. 'Try not to break anything.' And shut the door quietly.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Time trickled slowly by in their prison, dripping sluggishly like thick mud. They stayed in the same position through the hours, occasionally turning around to see if the other was still there, but would always catch the other staring and hastily turned back to the wall with a glare. Finally, Perona heard rustling sounds and turned to see Zoro reach out for his sword and set it on his lap. She pouted. If Zoro could have his favourite 'toy' for distraction, she wanted hers too! She looked around for her familiar bean-like bear stuffed toy, and stood up. Kumashi should be in here somewhere! She began walking around the room, opening crates and throwing her pillows in search of her favourite toy.

'There.'

Perona turned to see Zoro motion to a huge stuffed bear sewn together with different cloth patches with an outsized bon-bon cap and a surgical mask over his mouth perched neatly at the corner of the windowsill, almost hidden from sight from the pink curtains shielding it from view. She smiled in glee. 'Kumashi!' Jumping to the window in a flash, Perona swiped the bear into her arms and hugged it close to her chest.

Zoro snorted in reply, and turned back to the sword on his lap. Perona looked down at him, saw his eyes staring blankly at the sword before him, and decided she didn't like it.

She didn't like how Zoro stared at his sword like it was his only friend in the world. She didn't like how he treated the sword like it was a real friend that could only understand him. She ,for one, knew all too well the pain that would lead him to, the crushing loneliness he would feel if he shuts himself from the world to chase an event from the past that was too far gone too late. She looked down at the doll in her arms and a small, sad smile spread across her lips.

Zoro wasn't alone. Zoro was never alone the moment he set foot into the house, the moment he tumbled into Perona's arms, shallow breaths and violent shivers wracking his frame, drenched in his own blood and the rain pouring outside. He was never alone when he lay on the sofa, sick and injured, never alone even in his nightmares, or even when he cried. Sometimes it scared Perona, how the boy shrank away from the world around him, trying to make himself as invisible as he could.

_I want to be the Greatest Swordsman in the World._

How could there be an invisible greatest swordsman in the world?

And it was in these moments, when she looks down at him and sees the cloudy mist setting over his eyes like a veil, shrouding the violent memories and flashing like a torchlight as though trying to remind him to remember, remember, never forget, _don't you dare forget_, and in these instances Perona sees herself staring down at a Kumashi perched in her hands, trying to remember, remember what the toys meant to her, never forget the reason she clutch onto it, _never forget _her, and she understood there were things too difficult to talk about but simply easy to understand if you take the time to, and knew there were people in the past weighing him down just as her toys weighed her down away from everyone else and separated her from everyone else, down a path thorny and stormy and _lonely _but mattered, mattered because of dreams and promises that could never be left behind.

'… You're not alone,' she uttered to the room.

It was the truth. Because with his presence, she was no longer the lonely child who didn't have friends. Because she wasn't the only one who understood the meaning of suffering.

Because she wasn't the only one who had lost someone precious.

'Perona.'

The voice cut her clean from her thoughts. 'What?'

'… Aren't you lonely?' Zoro stared at her straight in the eyes when he said it, a frown marring that boyish face.

Perona gripped her skirt and bit her lip, and nodded curtly. 'Sometimes. I'm always stuck in here, and nobody talks to me, so…'

Zoro's frown deepened. 'You're not alone now, are you?'

'Huh?' Perona stared at him in confusion as the boy sprang to his feet and dusted his lap. He stared at the sword in his hand for a moment, before placing it against the wall.

'Let's get out of here. I'm bored.'

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

'I still don't feel right going out like this,' Perona muttered.

'He won't even notice we're gone. Relax, damnit.'

Perona had to smile at the reply. She'd never had someone her age who would bother to take her out to the park (or dared to, to be honest, with her father's daddy complex on her, but that was another story), even when he knew _nothing _escapes the watchful eyes of the Greatest Swordsman in the World. She giggled when the hand intertwined in hers tightened. 'Let's go to the park, then! There's lots of fun stuff we can do!'

'I am going to the park!' he shouted indignantly.

'… The park's the _other_ way.'

Perona burst out laughing when a muffled explosion burst from Zoro. He immediately turned back and dragged her the other way, catching glimpse of his reddening face for a fraction of a second. 'I knew that!' he spluttered.

Perona only laughed harder.

When they finally reached the park after 3 U turns and 2 dead ends, Perona came to a conclusion.

'You're directionally challenged, aren't you.'

The corner of Zoro's ears turned red. 'You were the one who got us lost!'

Perona's eyebrow lifted. 'You were leading, I was following **you**.'

'Sh-shut up!' The boy's ears looked so red Perona was sure steam would be escaping from them if this were a cartoon. She giggled, but didn't say anything else.

'Anyway. We're here.' Zoro let out a breath he didn't know he held and surveyed the surroundings. There was much more greenery here than back on the roads they were running on just now. It was refreshing, being close to nature. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the air sweeter and fresher than he ever remembered, and felt all the tension leave his body in slow droplets, his mind spiral into a state of contented calm. He eased his grip on Perona and toppled to the ground, lying on the grassy ground with his arms spread wide.

'… What are you doing?'

'Napping,' he yawned. This felt comfortable. Under the gentle sunlight, accompanied with a slow, caressing breeze, this was paradise.

… Until he felt something hard crushing his face.

'Hey! What did you do that for?' he heard Perona shriek, eyes landing on a group of (three? Four?) laughing boys a few feet away from them.

The tallest, slender boy with long hair among them wearing a large blue and white checkered scarf pointed at him with a smug face. 'Get out of Buggy's treasure territory! If you're here to steal the treasure, you will never leave this place alive!'

'Hey! Apologise to him!' Perona shouted. 'You stamped his face on purpose!'

'Come on, Perona. These idiots aren't worth it.' Zoro muttered and tugged at the girl's sleeve.

'It wasn't my fault I stepped on him!' the boy laughed. 'His hair was so green it looked like grass!'

_Green like grass…_

_Green like grass…_

_**Green like grass…**_

'That's it, you're going down!' Flames of fury erupted through Zoro's whole being. NO ONE MESSES WITH HIS GREEN HAIR. No one, NO ONE makes fun of his natural, handsome green hair! 'Not that I'm gonna let a girly boy beat me!'

The other boys cringed and stumbled backwards in fear, their bodies trembling as though they've been slapped in the face.

One of them stuttered. 'H-h-he's d-done it…'

'Cabaji! Cabaji looked angry!'

But Zoro didn't give a damn. He turned to glare at Sissy Boy, who looked equally stunned as his companions.

'You…' He reached behind his pocket. 'How dare you insult my hair?'

'How dare **you** insult my hair?'

'You think you can defeat me?' Sissy Boy snarled, and drew a sword from the shadows of his strange cloak.

Zoro burst out laughing.

Cabaji recoiled sharply as though he had witnessed the arrival of an alien. 'He's…' Tears streamed down his cheek, squeezing his chest in pain. 'He's laughing at me…'

'D-Don't let him get to you, boss!' One of the boys quickly replied.

'Yeah! He's just so terrified that he's gone crazy, that's all!'

Zoro only laughed harder. Perona sweatdropped. She would have laughed along the merry jingle that was Zoro's laughter (so funny so real) if she actually understood what he was laughing about.

Cabaji regained his composure. 'Hmph. You laughed at me. You're going to pay for it.' He wield the sword tighter in his hands. 'Now watch how the great second mate of Buggy's Crew defeats the moss-haired boy who dared trample into his territory!'

Zoro instantly stopped laughing and the murderous aura returned, shadowing his face as his eyes shone in a maniacal gleam. He stretched his arms and rubbed his hands together with a disturbing smile. 'You just dug your grave.'

'We'll see about that!' Cabaji yelled as he charged forward, lifting the shining blade above Zoro's head.

'Zoro!' Perona screamed.

'Shinken Shirahatori!' In one fluid motion, Zoro slammed both hands together, the blade firmly clasped between them.

The on-lookers gasped.

Cabaji gritted his teeth and pushed the sword down with all his might, but the blade in the boy's hands refused to budge. Then he felt a pair of lasers shooting at his forehead and he lifted his gaze, and thought saw Satan himself. He froze, and attempted to back away, but it was already too late.

'DIE!' With a powerful kick, Zoro smashed the boy in the face, sending him flying to the other end of the grassy field. The other boys gaped with horror as he landed with a loud crash, sending a storm of dust dancing in the air from the ground.

Perona stood stock still from her position, jaw dropping to the floor in shock. She knew Zoro was stronger than most boys (she didn't think most 8 year old boys could actually lift a freaking bed), but she didn't know he had _that _much brute strength... That poor idiot had to be unconscious!

But Zoro didn't seem the least perturbed - like this was supposed to be a normal thing! - and stared blankly twitching body (corpse) of… of… what was his name again… Then the sense of victory caught up to him and threw his head back and cackled evilly.

That showed him to mess with his green hair!

'What's going on here?'

Out of the corner of the bushes, a boy with teddy bear hair sat crossed leg on what looked like a… huge lion cub. Perona blinked, and looked around the empty field. Didn't anyone notice children walking around with swords and wild animals? She settled with a sigh and buried her face in her hand.

'M-Mohji!' One of the boys cried.

'I thought you guys were supposed to defend the ground?' He looked around. 'Where's Cabaji?'

One of the boys pointed to the still-twitching heap on the ground. Teddy man instantly doubled over in a fit of snickers.

'It's not funny, Mohji!' One of the boys shouted. Mohji only laughed harder.

'Hey guys, don't forget to take a picture of this,' he finally muttered, wiping tears from his eyes. That was when he caught the two figures standing in the middle of the field.

'So you're the one who did this to Cabaji?' His expression turned serious. Captain Buggy wouldn't be happy if he found out.

'… Teddy bear.'

'What?'

'You're a teddy bear on a lion.' Zoro deadpanned.

Teddy Bear exploded. 'It's my hair, stupid! And I happen to like it!'

'A teddy bear!' Zoro exclaimed again, apparently too stunned to comprehend anything but the bizarre teddy bear boy in front of him.

'Are you even listening?' he yelled.

Perona shook her head.

'Teddy bear!'

'That's it!' Mohji yelled in fury. 'Richie, get them!' The cub roared in response, and charged towards them. Zoro narrowed his eyes and cracked his knuckles. Too bad he didn't bring Wado here or he'd slice him to pieces. Now… What should he do…?

Suddenly, a loud voice shouted behind him.

'Negative Hollow!'

The enemies suddenly froze, clutching their chest like someone had ripped their hearts outand sinked to the ground like a slug.

'I want to become moss…'

'My existence is lower than dirt…'

'It's over… My life is over…'

The lion cub just lay on the ground, whining like a puppy.

Zoro blinked. 'What…' he turned to Perona.

The girl stood there, eyes wide with shock as the reality of the situation seeped in, that she actually _did _that in public and in front of Zoro nonetheless. She gave him a shaky smile, and Zoro narrowed his eyes.

'Let's-let's get out of here, then-then I'll explain.'

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

'… _Negative ghosts?'_

_The ghosts nodded, bobbing up and down in the air as they stuck out their tongue at the girl. 'What do you mean?' she whispered._

_One of the ghosts slapped his forehead in exasperation, and floated around the classroom, rubbing his hands as surveyed the children below him. Finally, he swooped down and pierced the annoying, blabbering teacher in his chest, and Perona barely managed to stifle the gasp of surprise as it passed the man._

… _Nothing happened._

_Then the teacher dropped to his knees and a gloom settled in the classroom. 'I wish I wasn't born…'_

_The ghost gave her a thumbs up, and Perona felt a swell of pride in those who have been following closely after her these few weeks._

_And that was when her life changed completely._

' Like daddy, I can see ghosts around us, but unlike him I can talk to them.' she smiled and turned to look at the few blushing ghosts wriggling happily in their place. 'They're my best friends… And with them I always get what I want, no matter what.' Her mouth curved into a maniacal grin as the atmosphere around her darkened. 'Together, we can dominate all the toy stores and candy shops we want!' Zoro shrank away from her, his heart suddenly pounding painfully at the thunderstorm gathering around her figure, surrounded by burning, menacing fire. But then the girl slumped, and met his gaze hesitantly and… fearfully?

'… Are you… scared of me?'

Zoro scowled. 'Are you insulting me?' he exploded. Perona's head tilted even lower. 'Are you telling me that I'd be scared of something I can't even see? Ghosts don't scare me!' Perona's surprised face didn't quell the rising rage in his chest. 'Just because you're different doesn't mean you scare me! If you ever send those ghosts to me I'll chop them down with Wado if that's the last thing I'll do,' he huffed, and crossed his arms with a pout.

'Perona felt a huge rock lifting from the base of her stomach. 'Don't worry, it's not like I'm going to use it on you unless you get in my way,' she huffed, turning away from him. Then her shoulders drooped.

'Besides, you already look upset enough to me.'

Zoro turned to her sharply, but Perona was looking at the other direction. The flash of a boy huddling on himself with the sword in his arms trembling, and the flash of those tear-filled eyes so filled with _despair _haunted her and she knew from that moment until the boy could find the courage within himself to rise she could never bring herself to use Negative Hollow on him. She wouldn't be the one to reduce Zoro to nothing when he already wished to disappear from the world already. She remembered, the night the boy slumped into her arms, and all Perona could think of, all she could feel wasn't how her favourite nightdress was getting soaked or that she just let a stranger into the house but the dead weight in her arms and with terrifying, heart-stopping clarity the quick shallow breathing against her neck at the fingers clawing at her and a voice so soft it could barely be heard over the ongoing storm but it rang loud and clear in her ears, whispering and whispering and whispering.

'_Help help help help help help please don't let them catch me protect Wado please sensei kuina help help help…'_

She barely registered the hesitant, shy weight over her right hand until she felt it coil around hers, wrapping it with such warmth it contrasted greatly with those freezing fingers she remembered back that night and it snapped her, snatched her away from those memories and to her surprise, saw a tanned hand in hers, squeezing it firmly and reassuringly, and in that moment, she could hear him in the back of her mind, could hear the apologetic voice filled with both joy and sadness.

_I'm alright now. Don't worry anymore. I'm okay. So don't be scared for me. I'm here I'm not going anywhere, so please stop looking so sad?_

Then a bubble rose rapidly in her throat, unleashing a loud, bright giggle burst from her throat as a smile of relief stretched across her face, and at that moment, with the hand holding hers and the happiness in her heart realised her life has never been so perfect.

She looked up at the boy, whose face was now red as a tomato, and giggled again.

'You're so silly.'

Zoro blushed harder. 'We-we're just holding hands cause I don't want you getting lost again when we go back, okay?' He leapt to his feet, still refusing to meet her eyes as he stared at the darkening sky. 'Come on, before it starts to rain.'

'In the end we didn't even get to do anything.' Perona scoffed.

Zoro was quiet, before an evil grin spread throughout his face.

'Then let's do this again.'

Later, on-lookers couldn't comprehend why there were two children laughing boisterously all the way across the street.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The moment they climbed through the window and snuck back into the room, Zoro slumped on Perona's large bed in a beat. 'Tired…'

The pink-haired girl yawned and rubbed her eyes sluggishly. 'Me too…' A loud thunder boomed outside, but Perona couldn't find the strength in her to get frightened.

'Lemme sleep on your bed today, kay?'

'Whaaat? No! Go back to your room!' That was enough to wake Perona momentarily to whack the boy upside the head, but he'd already fallen asleep, snoring softly against the fluffy pillows. Perona smacked her forehead and was about to drag the boy off her bed when a louder thunder shook through the whole house and she froze, then looked down at the snoring boy next to her.

_Maybe just this once._

With that, she plopped next to Zoro, pulled the blankets off and covered over the both of them, and fell asleep in seconds.

Both children failed to notice the golden eyes watching them from the darkness of the room, but the edges of the eyes quirked upwards in amusement. It appeared that his plan worked. He was just glad the two of them returned safely. The man emerged from the shadows and let a peaceful smile snatch its way to his face. Seeing Zoro's relaxed and Perona's happy expressions, he couldn't help the bloom of relief settling in his heart.

'Idiots, the both of you.'

* * *

><p><strong>I dragged Buggy's crew into this. And yeah, Perona still keeps some of her special 'powers' from the original One Piece works. *shrugs* Sue me. This chapter was hard. So revie- *slumps shoulders and topples to the ground*<br>**


	5. Introducing Shanks

**I wasn't happy with the original version of this chapter, so I re-edited it, and I must say, this chapter is much, much better. **

**Enjoy! :D**

* * *

><p>The world was screwed up. Mihawk understood the meaning of that sentence first hand.<p>

He remembered back that night. That first night in the bar when it all went hushed and whispers broke among the occupants that the _New Emperor of the Local City Underground Shanks le Roux is here _and felt a tingle in his throat where the wine slicked through. The fingers tilting the mouth of the bottle twitched with barely-suppressed anticipation, and he knew tonight a life-changing battle would take place. His opponent was strong –a thrill which had been rare for him ever since he became the Greatest Swordsman in the World.

What caught his attention first was the strange straw hat on his head, and his shabby code of dress. How many underground bosses have he seen dressing like he was a pirate or a fisherman? Then was the glaring red hair peeking from underneath the confines of the hat. But when he saw the blade flashing from underneath his cloak, he lost himself.

'Let's fight.'

Shanks only grinned, like he was expecting this all along. 'Sure.'

And then their duel brought the whole bar down.

What was more stunning that there wasn't a true winner in the outcome of the battle.

He was a man evenly matched and equally skilled as him.

How long has it been since he found someone he could fight toe-to-toe, neck-to-neck? It was refreshing, a challenge and gift after the time he had became the greatest swordsman in the world, where he could more or less defeat an enemy with the blink of an eye.

It certainly alleviated his boredom for the next few years.

But sometimes he wondered whether it was all worth it.

To say the man was his own personal nightmare was an understatement. He got drunk like it was a second nature of his, partied like there was no tomorrow and dragged him down into the pits of Hell (debtors, billers, you name it, and the idiot still had the nerve to claim it was all 'secondary training to fill your time' and 'all good fun') like it was some sort of game.

If it wasn't for the satisfactory battles Mihawk would have sliced him into pieces back those years ago. To him he was a shallow man with value. They were rivals. That was all it was. And that was all it ever will be.

But it all changed when tragedy struck.

Shanks, _one of the four emperors of the underground,_ lost his arm for a mere _child._

Most people reacted to the news with disbelief, or disgust, that a supposedly cold blooded man like him should have known better, that he should've been iron-fisted or merciless because that was how you had to be in order to be the Emperor of the Underground, and without it you removed the fear of others to you, the respect, and it could be the end of your life. He remembered the countless attacks to him afterwards, when he was still bed-ridden and injured and learning how to fight with an arm. He was there. He knew. He saw.

He saw how the clouded gaze still shone with steel at his decision, the strong voice he held even when taunted and jeered by those who judge but did not understand. He saw how Shanks forgot himself and refused to fight but slaughtered those who dared lay a hand on those who remained loyal to him, just like how he forgotten himself the day he lost his arms. And Mihawk was reminded why, why this man could become one of the Emperors of the Underground, saw the fiery flame blazing in those eyes, words that spoke of love and no regrets and compassion and things that none but a real man could understood between each other, and decided.

They fought together. He aided them rid of those after his title and his life (not like those idiots had a chance anyway, Shanks was two thousand years ahead of them in terms of strength and speed). To say he did it out of sympathy or the 'good of his heart' or simply because he was a good friend was bullshit. He wasn't one to exaggerate in silly emotions as such, and in no way would he consider Shanks as a friend. He was a man of different ideals and different goals, and according to the red-haired idiot himself, it was best for them to walk their respective paths.

He fought because his partner was a real man worthy of his title. He refused to accept anyone else deserving as the Emperor of the Underground.

And he remembered, after one of the battles, Shanks slumped against the dirty walls, running his fingers through his missing left arm, and said: 'He was worth it. You'll see. If it was for that boy, I would do it thousand times over.'

Mihawk listened, and nodded, but didn't understand.

Until the night a little boy crashed into his house, challenged him with a glare as intense as the one he had seen and felt so many years before, did he finally understood.

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

'!' A loud crash followed after, and the man, to his great dismay, found his front door flying across the living room and landing on the table of his dining room, effective breaking it into pieces.

Mihawk cradled his head. He really wasn't in a mood to handle _him. _He knew he would come, after the countless calls and texts he'd purposely ignored, that the man would find it in himself the energy to _not _waste away and take it upon himself to visit him.

He just wished he'd be a little gentler. After all, his furniture was innocent of his sins.

As if on cue, the bright sunlight filtered from the open door, casting the shadow of a familiar figure into the room. Mihawk suppressed a groan. Again with the dramatic entries. He was getting infinitely tired of it.

'Oi. Just come in already.'

As if on cue, the man slammed a foot into the house, the loud sound ricocheting throughout the compound, and Mihawk's furniture actually shook by the force. The man himself sighed. This was almost becoming a normal weekly routine.

'What do you want?'

Shanks turned to him with shadowed eyes. 'Aren't you going to comment about the inspiring man's romance you just felt just now?'

Mihawk rolled his eyes. 'I've seen you done it a million times before. What's so special about it?'

Shanks' cool exterior broke. 'But it's a man's romance to enter with all the manliness and cool they can muster!' he whined, scurrying to the other man and leaned forward until their noses were almost touching. 'Or are you not a man?' His tone could've scared a lion away, but Mihawk remained unfazed.

'What are you doing in my house?'

Shanks drew back and rubbed his chin. 'Hmmm… Well, you see…'

'ZOROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!' Mihawk lurched forward in his seat when the loud voice rang across the neighbourhood. A blur of a child with knee-cut jeans and a straw hat raced across the room and up the stairs before the man could even catch a glimpse of him.

'… Who was that?'

Shanks threw his head back and laughed. 'Why, that's Luffy, the most adorable kid in the world!' he squealed and clapped his hands together with sparkling eyes. Seeing the confused face on the other man's face, he continued. 'They met and played in the mall playground the other day.' His expression grew sly. 'So how's daddy Mihawk coping?'

Mihawk frowned, and recalled the blissful face on Zoro the day he found him. So the boy was the reason for Zoro's happy state, huh… He needed to find a way to thank him later.

Now he had other things to worry about, he thought as he turned Shanks. He plopped himself on one of the sofas and sighed. 'Now where's the booze?'

'Go get it yourself.'

Shanks pouted. 'That's not the way to treat a guest!'

'You're not a guest. You're an intruder.'

The pout grew prominent. 'Fine. I'll look for it myself and break my back while I'm at it.'

Mihawk felt a vein throb. 'You are _not _going anywhere near my kitchen.'

Shanks ignored him and trotted to the kitchen. Mihawk heard the fridge pried open, and he cradled his head in his arm, trying to ease the growing throbbing which will, no doubt, develop into a migraine.

'STAY. AWAY. FROM. MY. FRIDGE.' He gritted out. It wasn't as though he minded the man digging through his kitchen, but experiences told him once the man found something he was interest in (aka anything alcohol related), he would show no mercy.

Like it or not, Mihawk's booze belonged to him. That was the written rule of the century.

Shanks drew his head from the fridge and gave him a smirk. 'You were the one who told me to look for it myself. I'm just making sure I'm not missing any corner of the-'

Mihawk sighed. 'Fine. But one bottle only.'

Shanks grinned brightly. 'That's my boy!'

Mihawk ransacked through one of the kitchen cupboards, pulled out a bottle of the un-finest wine he had in his possession (goodbye, old friend) and thrust it in Shanks' chest.

'One _only_. You are _not _getting drunk in the house.' He narrowed his eyes in warning. Yes, the memories of the old days when Shanks got drunk in his house still haunted him to this very day. If that happened… Mihawk didn't want to think about. Instead, he pulled open the bottom cupboard and pulled a heavy toolbox out, and turned to glare at his 'friend'. 'But you _will _help me fix the door.'

Shanks blinked, and turned to the broken door lying on the living room floor, then back to the silently, deadly aura surrounding the other man. He shrugged.

'Fine.'

Because crazy he may be, but Shanks wasn't one to ignore a responsibility when it came by.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

Zoro drifted back into consciousness and frowned. He remembered taking a nap, but he didn't fall asleep with the weird feeling that plagued the back of his head like now, nor did he feel so heavy. Slowly, he pried his eyes open…

… And came face to face with a grinning monster.

'!' Zoro tried to shove the body clinging to him like an octopus and tumbled to the ground, panting heavily.

'Shishishishishi! Zoro's so cute when he gets all scared!' A chipper voice wisped through his ears as the tentacles around him tightened, and Zoro blinked.

He heard that voice somewhere before.

Zoro looked down and saw the familiar straw hat, the familiar cheeky, smiling face, and his eyes widened impossibly.

'LUFFY?'

The boy giggled and tightened his hug for a fraction of a second before pulling the other up. 'I miss you, Zoro!' he whined, then leaned in for a whisper, as if relaying to him the greatest secret in the world. 'Ace is fun, but not as fun as you!'

Zoro stared down at those large innocent eyes, the pure adoration and love radiating from those bright, happy orbs, and grinned. 'I miss you too.'

Daaaaaaaaamn he felt smug.

Wait. 'How did you get in here?' He was sure Mihawk wouldn't let a random kid into his house so easily…

'Shishishi! I don't know! But daddy brought me here and crashed the door!' he said like it was a perfectly normal thing. 'He said if you or anyone else hurt me he'll stab you guys to death!'

Zoro cringed. This 'Shanks' guy didn't sound all too pleasant. 'So what do you want to do now?'

'Play!' Luffy unwound his arms around him and tilted his head, rubbing his chin in concentration. 'Hmmmm…' Zoro crossed his legs on the floor and waited patiently for the boy to answer, when he suddenly snapped with a loud 'Ah! I know, let's play Pirates!'

Zoro raised an eyebrow. 'Pirates?'

'Shishishishishi, yeah! I'll be the captain, and you'll be my first mate!' Luffy beamed. 'I'm gonna be the King of Pirates!' he declared. 'And I'll have a crew who'll follow me to the seven seas!' Then he turned to Zoro. 'Where should we explore today?' He looked around the room. 'Is there a cool place to explore here?'

Zoro pondered at the question, scratching his head. Mihawk's house wasn't that large (considering he _was _the greatest swordsman in the world), but at least each of them had a room to themselves…

Then the idea struck him.

Zoro turned to his friend with an evil glint in his eyes. 'Actually, there is.'

**xXxXxXxXxXxXx**

'Mihaaaaaawk.'

'Yes?'

'Why am I the only one fixing the door?' Shanks whipped his head and gave his deadliest eyes to the other man sitting cross-legged next to him, the bottle of booze snatched away from him. He should've known better than to put it down when he began fixing the door. After all, when it came to booze, it was all out war between them.

'You broke it, so you fix it,' was his answer as he chugged a mouthful of wine down his throat.

'At least you don't have to drink in front of me,' he muttered under his breath.

Mihawk gave him a hard glare. 'What was that?'

'Nothiiiiiiiiiing!'

Mihawk sighed, and decided to let it slide. 'So how's your kid?'

'Oh, you mean Luffy?' Shanks eyes morphed into sparkling glitter in an instant, a gentle blush tainting his face as he – Mihawk did a double take here – _squealed_.

… Has the man no dignity?

'Luffy is as innocent and easy to fool as always! Ooooh, how I enjoy messing with the kid. He's such a great fun to have around.' Shanks burst out laughing, doubled over to clutch his stomach, wheezing between breaths of joyful laughter. He wiped a tear from his eye. Those memories were such entertainment. 'His brother isn't so fun to mess with though. He'd kick me in the shin if he found out I messed with his little brother. It hurt like hell!' Shanks burst out laughing again as Mihawk raised a brow.

'Should I suggest kicking you in the balls? I'm sure that'd be more effective.'

Shanks glared. 'Don't even think about it.' Then he slumped against the door hinge. 'Aaaah, he's not here anyway. The kid's out hunting in the woods again. He would have a fit later, that overprotective brother complex idiot.'

If possible, Mihawk's eyebrow soared higher. 'You let a kid into the woods all by himself?'

The red-haired man waved at him dismissively with a lazy smile. 'That kid can handle it. Those two literally grew up in the jungle.' Ah, that explains the boy's strange choice of clothing. 'But enough about me.' The Greatest Swordsman in the World felt a tingle running down his spine when Shanks leaned in closer to him, a sly smile on his face. 'What about that kid you're taking care of, hmmm?'

Mihawk scowled, and tilted the bottle, only to find it empty. His scowl deepened. 'That's none of your business.'

'Oh, is it?' The red-haired man reached into his cloak and fished a paper that had Mihawk frozen in his position. 'When a Wanted Poster is issued by the government, I have the right to investigate the circumstances surrounding the person as a safety precaution.' Dangling from his fingertips was a Wanted Poster of a green-haired child he knew so well, a fierce frown etched on his face. 'This poster has been issued only yesterday, and is now spreading through the country. But it's strange, don't you think?' He turned to the poster, noting the tightening of grip on the bottle in his left hand. 'A child, to have a Wanted Poster, and not a Missing poster… It's as if the government still knows he's alive, and they have to find it desperately or not a terrible secret would be revealed. It's like they're hiding something from us.' His eyes locked onto Mihawk's, piercing but trusting. 'Perhaps you'll know something I don't?'

Mihawk crossed his arms and pondered. Then cursed himself for pondering. Shanks may be an idiot, but he wasn't the kind of person to betray his friends. Nor would he aid those who are his enemies. So what was he hesitating for?

'… It started more than a week ago, that night when I left early from the bar…'

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

'Shishishishishi! So what's this place?' Luffy poked his head into the unfamiliar room, then to the figure crouching next to him, a bandana over his head.

'It's Perona's room.' He tugged at the bandanna to make sure it was in place. 'I've been in here, but only when she's around, so there wasn't much exploring to do.' Inwardly, Zoro cackled. It was payback time for all the screaming he had to endure all these while. Perona usually took a long while in the shower, so that left them plenty of time to look around.

Luffy however, was completely distracted as he stared at his new friend. His eyes morphed into sparkles. 'Zorooooo! You look like a robot!'

'What the hell is that supposed to mean?'

'Sooooooo coooooooooooool!' Zoro recoiled slightly at the almost worshipping eyes directed at him. It was almost scary, the way Luffy looked at him like he was some sort of deity.

'Uh, right. Let's… start.' Zoro's eyes turned serious. This was a serious mission. There was no time to be fooling around.

Inspired by the burst of manly aura from his friend, Luffy nodded sagely as well. 'Yosh! Let's go!'

And with that, they pushed open the door and entered the lion's den.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

'I don't really know much about this case, but my men something that might be of use.' The red-haired man furrowed his brows in concentration. 'You said they were after his sword, right?'

Mihawk nodded, his interest piqued at the man's sudden seriousness.

'Do you remember the group that disbanded after the death of their captain 5 years ago?'

'Black Cats, you mean?'

'Rumours are that he's still alive. I've sent my crew reported sightings of captain Kuro in the next town, and they've reported sightings of him working in a mansion under the alias Kurahadol.'

Mihawk frowned. 'What does he have to do with Zoro?'

Shanks smirked. 'This is the interesting bit. Kuro specializes in fighting with swords.'

The older man raised an eyebrow skeptically. 'Swords?'

'Well, they're not really swords, more like claws made from the blades of swords. He's taken quite an interest in stealing high quality swords back when he was captain.' At this point, the man's eyes turned sharp and powerful, just like the first time he met him all those years ago, and Mihawk knew instantly that the red-haired man had hit the jackpot. 'Not only that, he's working under the richest family of Syrup Town.'

Mihawk eyebrows shot up in surprise. 'The Merry family?' How could he not have heard of it? It _was _the only family in the area that became the richest through conventional means, and was hunted down because of it… He still didn't believe their deaths to be mere 'accidents'.

Then it dawned him.

'The World Government killed the Merrys, didn't they.'

Shanks nodded grimly. 'The government is involved in this, Mihawk. Watch your back.'

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

Luffy sniffed at the surroundings, and pouted. 'Naaa… This place doesn't smell of meat.'

'Of course it doesn't.' Zoro grumbled. 'This isn't the kitchen.'

'Yosh! How bout we go and raid the kitchen?'

'... You can't focus on something for long, can you.'

Luffy's cheeks puffed out in a scowl. 'Oi! Of course I can!' How dare his new friend accuse him of such? He crossed his arms. 'I've decided I'll explore this room, so I will!'

Zoro lifted a piece of doll, holding it as far away as he could like poison. His eye twitched. 'Alright, captain. So where do you reckon we start?'

The boy tapped his chin in contemplation, and his face stretched in a wide, cheery grin.

'Wherever we want!'

Zoro smacked his forehead in despair.

The next half hour was an eventful one. They scurried through the drawers and cupboards in the room, but didn't found anything out of the ordinary, just dresses, skirts and (to Zoro's greatest dismay, and immediately slammed the guilty drawer shut), panties (they're lacy! THEY'RE LACY!). All there had been to see was dolls, dolls and more dolls. But he supposed he should've known better. This _was _Perona they were talking about.

At least, that was what he believed before opening the Drawer of Sin.

Zoro's face froze in place, eye twitching uncontrollably. Luffy, after making a face at the pink-dressed doll he found, noticed his friend's expression and trotted towards him.

'What's wrong?' he chirped, and his gaze landed on the pile in the drawer.

The world spun, and stopped.

Then all hell burst loose.

'WHAT IS THAT?'

'HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?'

The two boys inched closer to the drawer, huddling against each other as if the boogie man will pop out from the drawer and devour them. This was no joke. Their manliness and sanity was as stake here. After a few moments of hesitation and pushing around, Zoro volunteered to peek again. He stretched his head into the contents of the drawer and cringed. 'This is terrible…'

Luffy shook his head, holding back hysterical sobs. 'How could she do that to him…?' The boy reached down and plucked the various photographs underneath the layer of clothes, each depicted an irritated Mihawk wearing girly clothes (the first one was a ballerina dress, to their dismay, face heavily covered with makeup.

Oh, the _sin._

'What are you idiots doing here?'

Both boys jumped at the chilly voice sharp enough to pierce through their skulls. Staggeringly, they turned, jerkily, to the blazing figure at the door, menacing flames bursting from her in waves.

Zoro gulped.

Luffy scratched his head in confusion. 'Who are you?'

Perona's smile was innocent and sweet as she cracked her knuckles. 'Your worst nightmare.'

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

It was just his luck, wasn't it? He'd just have to meet the one boy he couldn't hand over who happened to be chased by idiots in the World Government. The one boy, hunted throughout the whole world, just _had _to stumble upon his doorstep on that fateful night, who had what it takes to become the next greatest swordsman in the world. He was too valuable and too undeserving of the plans the government had in mind. He would simply, simple not allow it.

Did Kuma know about this? If he didn't, he would need to talk to him about this.

If not, Mihawk would have to find a way to get involved with the case.

Shanks seemed to have read his mind, because he spoke: 'You know when they get their minds into something, it's difficult to escape from them. They have contacts everywhere: it will be a matter of time before they find him. The only reason Nico Robin was able to hide herself until now was betraying people and eventually, meeting Franky.' His eyes became sharp. 'But now, even the government's dispatched CP9 to deal with the case.'

That name again. 'Do you anything about them?'

Shanks shook his head. 'They're a mysterious bunch. We have to be careful of them as well. They've managed to infiltrate into one of my businesses in the south. We were forced to cut contacts with them because of it, and afterwards, the whole group disappeared. Vanished into thin air.' His face was grave, and Mihawk knew he was worried. 'Whoever they are, they're not amateurs. They know the deal, and the fact we don't know much about them makes it all the more dangerous.'

Mihawk frowned. He didn't have much of a choice then.

It was then they heard the crash.

'GET OUT!'

'Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks!' The straw hat boy from earlier darted down the stairs and jumped into the man's lap like he'd just been in a world with no meat, followed by a wide-eyed Zoro, and Mihawk sighed.

'What did you do now?'

'We snuck into the girl's room and looked through her drawers!' Luffy chirped happily, only to receive a bonk on his face. 'Ow!' he rubbed the sore spot, and glared at the Shanks. 'What did you do that for?'

The red-haired man pouted. 'Naa, how many times have I told you not to find meat when you're in other people's houses?'

'I wasn't looking for meat! Zoro and I were playing Pirates!' Luffy crossed his arms indignantly and huffed. Seriously, did he really think all he was capable of doing was looking for meat? He'd show them!

Zoro rubbed his head and stared at the ground guiltily. '… It wasn't Luffy's fault. I suggested we go in there.'

'But I agreed! I'm the captain so I take respon-resfon-'

'Responsibility?'

'Yeah! That!'

Mihawk rubbed his temples. 'I'm going to get a headache.' He turned a stern eye to the green-haired boy. 'Why did you do that, anyway? You know Perona hates people looking through her things. Now she's not going to stop complaining in my ears for the next few hours.' Ooooh, he could imagine it, the hours of feeling his ears grated by a screeching violin…

'Awwww, come on, Hawky. They're just boys, and they're curious, that's all.'

'I need booze.' Was all he said, before he stood up and left the room.

Shanks frowned. He could understand how he was feeling, with everything that was up ahead, but Mihawk didn't need to blame Zoro for it. Didn't that contradict with what he really felt? After all, he knew the man, and he knew Mihawk wouldn't go so far to protect anybody, for the sake of the world, even.

And it didn't help that Zoro's head lowered even more, a guilty expression written all over his face. 'I didn't mean to…'

He felt a soft, gentle touch on his head and looked up, and saw the red haired stranger - no, not stranger, Shanks– staring down at him with eyes basked in warmth and kindness like the waking sun, and he thought of sensei, sensei who was always so patient and understanding even when he was brash and not really understanding, sensei who would always look at him with worry every time he returned to the dojo covered in bruises, chastised him for over-training again but never failed to smile that gentle smile that loved him, loved him for who he was, and Zoro suddenly felt a pang of homesickness overwhelming his gut. He missed home. He missed sensei. He missed Kuina. He missed his friends back in the dojo, who admired him, who wouldn't hunt him down and hurt him, trusted him and loved him. His eyes watered. This man was just like sensei…

'Don't worry. Just apologise to him. Mihawk isn't one to hold grudges like that.'_ Even though he was acting kind of like a douche bag, but you'll find that out._ Zoro looked down and hastily wiped his eyes.

'Naaa, Zoro.' He felt a poke in his ribs. 'Don't cry.' And there was Luffy, staring at him with those large, doleful eyes, his face frowning but eyes full of sadness because Zoro was sad. And he didn't want Zoro to be sad because Zoro shouldn't be sad because he loves Zoro and Zoro was a great friend and none of his friends should be sad. So he decided on the best course of action he could think of and started tickling Zoro in the ribs. The boy immediately jerked away from the touch but Luffy was determined, and pursuit him mercilessly, showering him with tickles all over his body.

Zoro laughed. 'Wait-S-St-Hahahahahah!' He laughed like he laughed on the first day he met him and Luffy liked that laugh. It was happy and carefree and Luffy couldn't think of anything else better in the world at that moment except for the beautiful amazing laughter he felt.

'Shishishishishi!' Luffy retreated with a goofy smile, staring contently at the other's grinning face. Zoro looked up at him and couldn't stop a grin. Luffy always knew how to make him feel better. Already now he could feel the tension and fear slowly slipping from his body, and gave them a smile.

He saw sensei and Kuina in a field, acknowledging him with smiles and nods and cheeky smirks and for the first time, Zoro doesn't feel the heart-wrenching emptiness and swallowed him as it did these past few weeks, didn't see those terrifying cat-like eyes taunting him amongst blazing flames and haunted shadows but instead he saw the gentle sunlight glowing behind them, heard their soft laughter in his ears laced with _love _and he smiled.

Smiled because his reality wasn't so bad, even with them gone. Smiled because he knew they wanted him to smile too.

Because if he had never lost that family, as painful as it was, he would never have found this new one.

It didn't take long. After a few minutes, Mihawk emerged, gulping down a bottle booze in a hand, and the other hand slammed another bottle in front of the red-haired man.

_Thanks._

Shanks smiled. That was how their interaction has always been, and to hell with it if it was going to change.

Luffy pouted. 'I want meat!'

'Naa, Luffy. I'll get it for you.' He turned to Zoro and winked. And the boy knew that was his chance.

When the two left the room into a kitchen (with a fearful Mihawk opening his mouth to protest), Zoro trottled closer to the other man. He turned to him questioningly, all traces of anger gone. It fueled Zoro and he gaze back into those golden orbs, orbs that were sharp and suspicious and terrifying when it first locked, now warm and curious and ridden with an emotion Zoro couldn't place his finger on.

So the boy gathered the courage and uttered the words he'd always wanted him to know all along.

'Thank you.'

Mihawk didn't say anything. He just pulled the boy into his arms, and cradled him close.

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

'… _So that's how it is, huh?'_

_Mihawk nodded. 'He's an amazing kid, and he wants to be Greatest Swordsman in the World, how could I deny him that?'_

'_Really now…' Shanks looked away in nostalgia. 'Is that the only reason you took him in?'_

'_The same reason you lost that arm for a kid.'_

_Shanks touched the empty gape where his arm should be, and a nostalgic smile bloomed across his face. 'I don't regret it. He was worth it. If it was for that kid I'd do it a thousand times over.'_

_This time, Mihawk listened, nodded and smiled. _

'_Yeah. I understand.'_

* * *

><p><strong>Review? :D<strong>_  
><em>


	6. The First Training

**Hi. :D It's been awhile. Screw that, it's been forever, hasn't it?**

**My deepest apologies for taking so long for this chapter. . Though the start of school did cause a little delay in the chapter update, the major reason for the lateness is actually working on this story itself. If you like to know the details, it's all in the AN at the bottom, but for now, just enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Chapter 5: First Training<span>  
><strong>

It was going to be a good day. Staring at the cloudless blue sky, the impossible bright sun, Zoro knew today was off at a good start.

He had seen things, many things when he was here. The strangers around him had become something of an accustomed presence Zoro had learned to deal with. For one, he had how to tune out Perona's lectures when she caught him training in secret, just like the way he tuned out the pain in his ribs and abdomen whenever he lifted something heavy over his injuries. But not matter how violent she acted, she was a gentle girl at heart, because whenever he'd bleed out from torn stitches after underestimating his injuries (pffft not that it mattered), Perona's hands would be gentle to replace the bandages over them, after a good bout of lecture, of course.

And then there was Mihawk. The man was a mystery. After establishing that he wasn't an enemy to be feared, he had learned that the man was a quiet man, hiding in the darkness for a reason he didn't understand. He didn't let his title get the better of him: he still held the honour of a real swordsman, noble and unrelenting, not even to his own temper. Because when the man came to check on his injuries, or when Perona half-carried him to replace his stitches, the twitching of his eye or the barely visible vein on his forehead were the only hint of his icy rage, coupled by the fact that the man rarely spoke, rarely interacted with him, but always by his side to tend to his injuries or when he needed him, was something that awed him. Mihawk was a man of action, and even in his young age Zoro knew that actions always spoke louder than words.

That was the norm of this family, and he had gotten used to it. Perona rarely interacted with her father, but sometimes he caught them staring at each other for the longest of times in an unspoken conversation. Sometimes, Perona would complain when her father wasn't back home in time for dinner, but she would always keep the food warm. In turn, Mihawk frowned upon the stuffed toys in her room, but bought more whenever Perona requested (harassed) for one. This family spoke with their actions, and Zoro didn't mind it. In fact, he was beginning to like it. Because people who only spoke without doing things, people who only judged without understanding were the kinds of people Zoro despised. Like some of the students back in the dojo who wanted to be great and blamed sensei when the failed but never committing themselves to training. They eventually left, nonetheless gave sensei a hard time. Zoro frowned.

'_Those who fail should suffer their defeat in silence.'_

Those words Kuina told him the first time they dueled, was it fueled with this anger he felt for sensei? They were people fighting to become stronger. That was the bond that connected Kuina and he, and no amount of excuses were going to stop them reaching their goals

Sometimes, Zoro remembered her. Those days passed by gloomily, and he would spend hours and hours in his room staring at Wado Ichimonji on his lap, playing their promise again and again in his head until they were the only thoughts in his head when he fell asleep at night. He still dreamt of her and sensei, and during those times they would be sitting cross-legged in the garden of sensei's dojo under the sun, together, and during these times he had hoped that the moment could last an eternity, had hoped that things could always stay the same as they were.

But the thoughts vanished when he woke up in a room far different from his own back in the dojo, in a house much different than the one back in his village. Things were different now, and he wasn't one to mourn for what could have been, especially not when he was walking down a path that will no doubt fulfill his dream.

So really, no one could blame him for his overwhelming excitement when he woke up one morning without an uncomfortable ache throbbing from his chest from his injuries.

Zoro lifted his fingers, and prodded the area where his ribs were. Not even the slightest shift or creak underneath. Perona had said they were healing, and that it should be soon before he was ready to be declared fine, but he didn't expect the day to come so soon. One month sure passed quickly. When no pain, no uncomfortable shifting creaked under his skin, Zoro almost lost his mind.

He was _healed._

The slow smile that stretched across almost broke his face. After the words sunk in completely, he reached into the drawer below his desk, and drew out a black bandanna.

_All the free training in the world, here I come._

xXxXxXxXx

Perona drew back with a huff after a long, thorough inspection. Even the bruises had faded away, and as unwilling as she was so declare... 'Well, I guess you're really healed. But no overtraining!' she hastily added when a stupid, gleeful smirk plastered across Zoro's face. 'Swordsmen,' she muttered. She'll never understand them, the bunch of muscle-brained idiots. One day, it was going to catch up on him if he wasn't careful. 'Don't injure yourself, got it?'

Zoro nodded, grabbed his sword from the edge of the sofa and sprinted to Mihawk's room like his life depended on it (it probably did, Perona corrected). All those missed training! Zoro's heart sank just thinking about it. A whole month, wasted! He'd have to make up for it as best as he could. With the help of the Greatest Swordsman in the World, there's no way he won't be able to.

He bumped (crashed) into Mihawk just as he walked out of the room. He blinked at Zoro's small figure radiating with elated excitement and glee, and raised his eyebrow. 'What's going on?'

Suddenly, Zoro's expression turned somber and he lifted Wado, staring resolutely at him. Mihawk turned his eyes from those fiery eyes, to the absolute certainty of a promise and a code of honour too mature for his age, and nodded. 'Meet me in the training dojo down at the basement in ten minutes.' With that he retreated back in his room, leaving Zoro staring at the blackness of his room door.

Zoro let the sword drag his hand down, then cradled it delicately as he marveled the grace of subtlety he could still see in Wado, could always see, just as he had seen Kuina back then. Sometimes, he could feel her presence in Wado, and it comforted him. It was like she was watching out for him, and although he could take perfect care of himself, he appreciated the feeling, anyway.

_Watch me, Kuina. I'll become the best. You'll see._

_I'll make you proud. __I'll make you proud._

With that, Zoro gulped, pressing down the urge to fall (fall down his consciousness, fall into this pain, _fall_), and rushed downstairs to where (he hoped) he could find the dojo.

In the end, Perona caught him wandering around the living room, and the girl only shook her head before guiding him downstairs (well, it wasn't _his _fault that the stairs were so plain in sight from the living room, so unlike the maze sensei's dojo once was), and the sight that greeted him took his breath away.

This place was a different world from the one he had seen upstairs. While the rest of the house was something he had to grow accustomed to, this place pulsed with serenity. The room was huge and spacious, stretching through the whole house. Even it was underground, there were various windows from the top of the walls facing the garden and the side of the house, letting natural sunlight filter in. There were benches lining up one part of the wall facing the entrance of the stairs, coupled with a few plants and old pieces of dark, weathered wood and grey stones in either round or sharp edges contrasting with the light, wooden colours on the wall, it was positively energizing.

Perona sensed the question in his gaze and answered. 'Daddy spends hours down here every day. Sometimes he trains, sometimes he'll just sit here facing the window by the garden doing nothing. I like it here, though. So I don't mind.' She let a small smile grace her face. 'It's… peaceful. Comforting.'

_So at home. _Zoro thought. Mihawk truly was a man more than meets the eye.

'Did you bring him down here, Perona?' There was a hint of amusement in that tone, as if the man that emerged from the base of the staircase was mocking him, and Zoro scowled. What is with people criticizing his sense of direction? He wasn't _that _hopeless_. _He knew a few things about directions, like the basic left and right, or the up and down. Zoro wondered why some people preferred to call them north and south, though. Why use two different words for the same thing?

Perona nodded. 'Can I watch the training today?' Her eyes brightened. She had never seen Zoro fight with a sword before. Even if she didn't like swordsmen, it was still cool to watch people fight!

Mihawk nodded. 'Just don't disrupt us.' He turned to Zoro. 'Before we start, is there anything you need?'

Zoro contemplated that. He had Wado, but using her here and now didn't seem… right. He was Mihawk's student, not a full fledged swordsman yet (but he will one day, Zoro thought sourly). He placed the sword against the wall carefully. This was his first training. It wouldn't do if he started out with real swords. 'Is there wooden swords around?'

The man smirked in approval. 'Over there.' He pointed to a straw basket in the corner of the room. Zoro trotted to them, stared at its contents, and ran his hands through the various wooden swords. After a few moments of inspection, Zoro drew three wooden bokken from the basket.

Perona blinked. 'What are you doing?'

Zoro ignored her, and walked to the centre of the room where Mihawk now stood. He drew the black bandanna they bought the other day from his pants pocket and tied it around his forehead, right above his eyes. Coupled with the respectful bow to Mihawk (Perona giggled at the display), he looked like a demon greeting the devil from hell. She giggled even harder when Mihawk returned the gesture, though his movements were stiff, as though he wasn't familiar with the gesture. Zoro reached for a wooden sword in his hand and clasped it between his teeth, the other two resting firmly on each of his palm, and faced his opponent with three swords. If it were anyone else Perona would have laughed, but Zoro looked so fierce and dead serious and looking like he was going to _kill_. But to use three swords... It was bringing numbers to a whole new level.

Mihawk clasped Kogatana from his neck and unsheathed it. This was going to be interesting, he thought. Not once in his life as a swordsman did Mihawk encountered a three-sword style. He pointed the dagger at the boy. 'Come.'

Zoro narrowed his eyes dangerously. So he wanted to test him, huh? Fine by him. Zoro raised his swords, and ran towards Mihawk. He will have to give his best in this battle. He would have to fight to win! He crossed the two swords in his hands before his chest.

'Onigiri!'

He brought the swords down in a ferocious slash. Mihawk dodged it with a bored look, but Zoro twisted his hips at the last minute and struck again from the man's side. Mihawk sensed the attack and brought Kogatana forward right to the centre where the three swords met. Everything stopped at that moment. Zoro grinded his teeth and pushed forward with all his strength, but no matter hard he tried he couldn't bring the swords beyond the tip of that tiny blade…

_What?_

Mihawk gave him a hard stare, and slashed upward, the force causing Zoro to fly backwards onto the hard ground with a loud thump. 'This technique is weak,' he commented coldly. 'The swords focus at one main point, and it takes only one move to stop the attack.'

Zoro rolled himself to his feet and dashed forward. 'Tora Gari!' he yelled, swinging his swords in a descending slash, only to be blocked effectively by Mihawk's sword. The boy twisted his sword in his hand and brought them forward in a deadly stab, only to have the tip meet Kogatana's in astounding precision. The boy gritted his teeth and with his other hand, tried to push the blade forward, but it refused to move.

_How… how can he put so much force behind one tiny knife? _Zoro snapped backwards and rushed forward again, slash after slash. Throughout the battle Mihawk remained calm and passive, dodging or countering all the moves with eerie ease. Soon, the boy could feel the sweat running down his back, the wooden swords in his hand became heavier as the minutes passed by. It couldn't be so hard to land a hit on him, damnit!

'How ferocious.' Mihawk commented and countered another attack with practiced ease. The boy was powerful in terms of brute strength, but that strength was not channeled properly. Raising Kogatana in the air, Mihawk side-stepped and brought the handle crashing down to Zoro's neck. The boy froze in the air, and crumpled to the ground without a word.

'Focus, Roronoa. Do not expend your energy wastefully.' He saw the boy stumble to his feet, staggering uncertainly from the last blow. He could see the layer of sweat framing the boy, and it's been what, barely 2 minutes? He was too lenient for the first time. But when the boy turned to face him, Mihawk stiffened for a fraction of a second.

It was like back that night, when the boy was only half-aware of what was happening to him. His eyes glazed over with pain and –he was sure – the dizziness of the last blow, and the demonic monstrosity in his eyes bore at him, and now that Mihawk saw it, it looked… alien.

_The animalistic insanity shining past the misty silver, clouding his vision as his head whipped up, the tensing of muscles and low growl emanating from his vocal cords pointed to him like he was rallying for one final drive-_

It unnerved him, that creature lying underneath those eyes, that creature that definitely was far too different from the boy he had come to know. So when Zoro's face twisted into a sneer, teeth bare and charging forward at him with a furious yell, Mihawk took a wary stance.

'Santoryu: Tora Gari!'

Mihawk side-stepped the attack, knocked the two wooden swords out of his hands and slapped him hard on the head. That seemed to snap the boy out of his state because he stumbled again, and the bloody mist in his eyes cleared, leaving surprised confusion lingering in his gaze as he stared up him.

Mihawk furrowed his brows, and chanced a glance at Perona. She was staring at Zoro with a frown, too. He turned back to the boy, trying to keep his face passive.

_What just happened there…?_

Zoro turned his gaze to his empty hands, and scowled.

Mihawk took that as a cue for him to speak. 'You must calm down, Roronoa. Focus to enhance your sword. It holds great potential.' He sheathed Kogatana back to its rightful place and met the boy in the eyes. 'A powerful sword is not one that destroys, but one that protects with grace, and a true swordsman wins not through strength, but through technique. If you cannot achieve that, you can never defeat me.'

Those words where a challenge in itself, and Roronoa Zoro never backs down from one. So he straightened his figure best as he could (it's not easy doing that while panting, he realised). 'What do I do?'

'We must start with the basics.' The grin that spread across his face that moment did not bore him well at all. 'Follow me.'

xXxXxXxXxXx

This is stupid. Totally, irrevocably stupid.

'Zoro, I can still hear your thoughts.'

_Damn. _Zoro thought. He scrunched his face in concentration, trying to slash at the thoughts that kept returning to his head. He'd thought this would be easy! Clear your thoughts, Mihawk had said. They left Perona in the dojo and went out to the garden with Wado in Mihawk's hands, and since then, all his new sensei had asked him to do was sit down, close his eyes, and drive all thoughts from his head.

And that had been an hour ago.

'What am I doing wrong?' he half-fumed half-grumbled, turning to the taller man next to him, looking completely at ease in his own world. Despite the outburst, Mihawk did not flinch. 'A true swordsman is able to focus their thoughts and guide them to the place where it is supposed to be. Only then can you be in harmony with your sword.'

Zoro crossed his arms and huffed. Guide your thoughts huh? Mihawk made it sound so easy! What does that have to do with swords training?'

'A sword has the capability to destroy and protect.' Zoro blinked. Did he just say that out loud? 'A sword that cannot be controlled and harms the people that the wielder wishes to protect shows the little control a man has in himself.' He opened an eye to regard Zoro. 'If your thoughts are in chaos, your sword will not be able to distinguish between your allies and your enemies. '

Zoro's eyes widened. A rush of déjà vu overcame him, and he suddenly found himself standing back in sensei's dojo, the day he found out that there were swordsmen in the world that can cut through metal. He didn't remember much of that day, since sensei's words didn't made much sense to him, but…

'_Listen, Zoro. There are swordsmen who can't cut anything, but that same person can slash through metal using the same sword.' A clacking sound sensei's wooden slippers were dampened by the fresh, morning soil, and that made his words all the clearer to Zoro's ears._

'_The strongest sword can protect and destroy what it wants. A sword that can harm anything isn't a real sword to me. Do you understand?'_

'_Sensei! I will be a swordsman who can cut through anything!'_

'… _Zoro, did you really understand?'_

Was that what sensei meant? Did he mean that… to be a swordsman who can cut through anything, he must be able to decide what to cut in the first place?

_Why didn't he say so before? _Zoro snorted, and settled back in his position. So if he wanted to be the best, he needed to be able to cut his own thoughts as well. That sounded simple enough.

But doing it was a completely different thing, because when he was at the brink of success, he would find images of Kuina ringing in his head, the voices about the promise running over and over his head as it had been these past two years. Sometimes the thoughts were easy to navigate. All it involved were a little push, and it would revolve to somewhere safe in his head. But that twinge of insecurity, that blanket of doubt that left a gaping emptiness in his heart since the day Kuina fell never left, the possibilities of 'what ifs' happening, just like it did that unexpected night… Zoro didn't want that happening. He screwed his eyes tighter and tried to push it away, but it dodged his hands and only came back with a taunting smile. It was like a scar that will never leave, a mark that will forever be burned in his mind that will haunt him for as long as he lived.

_What if... I fail? Just like Kuina failed?_

In his inner struggle, Zoro barely registered the soft sigh next to him until it spoke. 'Listen to the voices around you, Zoro.'

Huh?

Hear? The thoughts in Zoro's head were tuned out as he closed his eyes and concentrated. After a span of ten seconds, the world began to tune out, slowly, slowly... he began to hear them. Those soft sounds he had never noticed before, amplified to a frequency of crystal clear. By his side, he heard Mihawk stand from his position, the slight ruffling of his pants against the grass.

'Know your goals. Do not sidetrack from them, do not succumb to the distractions around you, in your head or out.' He heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed. 'Listen to the voice around you. What do you hear?'

Zoro furrowed his brows in confusion. What voice was he looking for?

_I want to be the best._

… Huh?

_Taller! Taller! Grow taller! Steal the light! Don't let anyone beat you!_

_Share. Come on, everyone! Let's share!_

Where did…

_Work, work, work, work, work, work, work…_

A loud howling filled his ears, joining the growing cacophony of noises. His eyes darted wildly in the darkness, even when there's nothing to see, nothing to find.

'Listen, Roronoa. Find your true goal.'

The voices in his head grew louder, the howling deafening.

_Grow! Grow! Beat them! Beat them!_

_Don't stop never stop I'm tired but I won't think about it I'll just work work work work work work work work work work work work WORK!_

_Calm, calm, peace, listen to the things around you, you can do it, I believe you can…_

**_Zoro._**

He did a double-take.

**_Master Zoro._**

The voice was soft, barely heard among the crescending symphony, but Zoro's heart tugged to that gentle voice, so similar yet so unlike the one he had heard what seemed like ages ago.

**_I'm here. Don't worry, Master. I'm here. Can you hear me?_**

… _Yeah, I can hear you._

**_You are our new master now. That was the wish of the previous masters._**

Zoro's face twisted into a pained smile. Was it?

**_Don't feel the pain, master. We are those who walked through the Road of Asura._**

**_Stand up to fight!_**

_To be the best, I have to fight…_

**_We'll be by your side. We'll become the strongest! Defeat those who dare hurt Masters!_**

**_We'll protect you!_**

**_To be the best!_**

**_Fight!_**

**_PROTECT!_**

Zoro snapped his eyes open with a yell, and stumbled backwards onto the grass. The sky was still blue and cloudless like before, like nothing has changed… He panted, and placed his hand over his chest to where his heart felt like it burned.

What just happened?

'Each being in this world holds a soul. For some, it is something we were born with; sometimes it is passed down from one with a strong enough will that attaches to it. Whatever it is, each soul that interacts produces a result that affects the things around us. That is what swordsmen can see, where our souls becomes one with the sword they were meant to be with.' Mihawk closed his eyes and sheathed the white sword in his hand, a faint smile gracing his features. 'Your sword has been calling out to you all this time, do you finally hear her?'

Her last words rang in his ears like a chiming bell. How could he not? 'Who are they?' he croaked, pulling himself to a sitting position. Mihawk strode to where he was, and handed him his sword. Zoro took it with careful ease, staring at it like it was a completely new being.

'Spirits from the previous owners that has latched onto the sword,' he said. 'When you fight, this is the voice that you seek. Only if you channel your feelings and wishes to it, will it be able to understand the task it is supposed to perform.' A proud smirk graced his face. 'You've done well.'

A triumphant, shark-like grin overtook Zoro's features. That was a great start, he thought as he ran a hand through Wado's hilt. Their final wishes, huh...

He placed a hand on his shoulder and stood up. 'The next time we train, we might be able to move to the basics.' He drew back with a lazy expression. 'I want my booze.'

The grin on Zoro's face instantly vanished.

'What do you mean, NEXT TIME?'

xXxXxXxXx

When Zoro was finally out of sight, Mihawk fished out the phone that has been buzzing since they finished their 'training'. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the text and he stared at fuming little boy with green hair, blocked by Perona's taller figure in front of him.

He shifted his gaze back to his phone, scanned through the text, and scowled.

**Agent Hawk Eyes,**

**I've heard from Bartholomew Kuma that you are interested in the arson attack in Shimotsuki Village. Hence, I am willing to extend a proposal to you I have no doubt you will be interested.  
><strong>

**Meet me in Mariejois, the World Government Headquarters at 3pm tomorrow.  
><strong>

**Spandam, Head of CP9.**

He could feel it. The gears… have begun to turn.

* * *

><p><strong>And hence, Zoro has learned the art of meditation. ... Which, he won't be very good at. Judging from how he was back then... he'd be more focused on getting stronger in physical terms anyway. xD<strong>

**Anyhoo, I owe you guys an explanation for the delay. This is the chapter where the plot began to unfold, and for an author who started out without a clue on where the story was going, I had to stop to think through where the story is going and reading through the previous chapters (as I haven't last time, and I've made some major character clashes). After deciding on everything, I wrote the chapter which is now the NEXT chapter (which is fail), but found it couldn't thread through THIS chapter, so I wrote this first instead. xD Also, I've done edits to all the previous chapters. If a hiatus does happen again, do know that I'm trying my best on the story, and that it would take about this long before a breakthrough comes (if not, I'm probably not in a condition to write).  
><strong>

**Thank you guys so much for your patience, and do know that updates are going to return to normal (by normal I mean around 2-4 weeks per update). :D See ja next time!  
><strong>


	7. The First Move

**This one's too long, so I split it into two parts.  
><strong>

**Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter<strong> **6: The First Move (part 1)**

'_Hawk Eyes.'_

_The woman standing before him was the most beautiful lady he had ever met. Long, black hair, a flawless face and a distinct charm (arrogance) that surrounded the air she breathed. He had heard of her, the Kuja Empress, the woman who touched the hearts of men across the ocean with her beauty._

_The woman who was also a free agent working for the World Government._

_Dracule Mihawk reached for his sword. Woman or not, she was a dangerous foe._

_But the Empress did not attack. Instead, she opened her arms, revealing a small child huddled in a dirty blanket, fast asleep in her arms._

_Mihawk's eyes widened._

_The woman's eyes softened for a fraction of a second, and Mihawk caught a glimpse of sadness flashing across her eyes, but was immediately replaced by cold determination. _

'_Save this child.'_

_It was a cold, windy autumn night eight years ago._

_It was also the day he met __**her**__._

**xXxXxXxXx**

**I've been summoned to Mariejois. Don't send in the information in case they tap my phone.**

**If anything happens, I leave them to you.**

**Hawk Eyes**

Shanks chuckled as he read the text from his cell phone. Guess he'll have to wait to send the information about Black Cats to him. It was like him to be such a worrywart. Shanks shut the phone, and entered the dimly lit office.

'How's everything going, Benn?'

The man sighed, and slumped backwards against his seat. 'It could have gone better if you'd helped.' He took off his glasses and rubbed his temples. The amount of work dumped on him had been crazy these past few weeks, and he hadn't much time to rest. And his captain wasn't helping one bit, he added irritably. 'Good news is that Yasopp confirmed the identity of Kuraholdor, butler of the Merry family as former Captain Kuro.' He clicked on several panels on his laptop screen, and various pictures of Kurahaldor pieced together forming a rough image, and it was compared next to his old bounty posters.

Shanks leaned in and scanned the pictures, before breaking into a proud grin. 'Trust Yasopp to get the job done.' He knew he could trust him when it came to long range observations.

'Former Vice Captain Jango had been discovered in the marine headquarters recently,' Benn's fingers navigated to another file and clicked it. More photographs popped out, mostly of a man with heart-shaped sunglasses and a mushroom-like beard in weird poses. 'Trust Jango to make things easier for us.' He leaned back and rested his head against his folded hands. 'It's just as you said: it's likely they were involved in the attack in Shimotsuki Village a few weeks ago under Captain Kuro's authority.'

Shanks nodded, and sunk into a chair next to his first mate. 'The bad news?'

Benn's smile dropped, and he returned to his laptop, and Shanks leaned forward and squinted at the glaring lights. How his first mate enjoyed working in a dark room like this he could never understand. 'Direct attacks have occurred in two of our trading points, and Whitebeard's contacted that the same happened to them as well.' A frown etched onto Benn's face. 'And it's not from the usual gangs trying to topple our business.'

This perked Shanks' attention. 'What do you mean?'

A black, full screen map of the country appeared, and Benn pointed to two areas circled in green ink, one right at the north and the other almost at the centre. 'This one up here in Alabasta was disturbed by Crocodile.' The frown deepened. 'Baroque Works is proving to be a thorn lately. They've intercepted three trades so far, and some of our men had been captured.' His finger traced down to the one pointing at the centre of the city. 'This one was attacked by Doflamingo, and several of our men disappeared as well. According to Marco, Whitebeard's was disrupted by Teach only two days ago.'

Shanks frowned, and raised his hand to ghost over the scars on his left eye. '… What is he up to this time?' They were remnants of their last battle, one before the man disappeared completely into the shadows. But one thing he learned after crossing paths with the man was that when Teach was involved, it was never a good sign.

The man remained silent and regarded his captain for a moment. Finally, he spoke. 'It's strange, captain.' Benn leaned his elbow on the table and rested his head on his palm. 'Free agents attacking major trading routes of the underground aren't normal. They may be working for the government, but they've left us alone all these while. Why the sudden attacks? It's like…' Benn blinked. 'It's like they're proclaiming _war _to us.'

Shanks frowned at the statement. To be honest, something had been nagging at the back of his mind. It crept up to him the night Mihawk left him in the bar, and even after seeing him safe and sound (he didn't break down his door for nothing, after all) he still couldn't shake it off. 'The World Government's planning something, that's for sure.' They seem to be planning a lot lately, with the Roronoa kid on the other hand… He wondered what they had to do with the kid. Mihawk looked worried about it as well, and he couldn't hold it against him. If it were Luffy, or Ace…

Benn scrutinized his captain for a moment and shook his head with a smirk. 'All this time and you're still worried.'

Shanks smiled, and fingered his missing arm absently. 'That guy needs some taking care of, especially after what he's been through.' His gaze grew distant, and he felt himself slipping back, back to the time when Mihawk decided to join the free agents, the rage and confusion he felt. The burning betrayal and hollow loneliness that carved a knife of twisting knots in his stomach was too much for him to bear back then.

Shanks closed his eyes. Now that he thought back, the one suffering the most that time was probably Mihawk himself.

And Shanks had abandoned him.

Abandoned the man who stood by his loyally, never questioning. Abandoned the comrade who believed in him when no one else did.

He almost wanted to strangle him for not asking for help, back then.

He opened his eyes, gaze steely with determination. Never again, he decided.

This time, he would watch his back.

'It's no coincidence Hawk Eyes found him, Benn. By keeping the boy he's putting himself into more danger. It won't be long before the World Government sniffs him out.' His fists tightened. 'And worse if they find out the truth about Perona…'

Benn's face was grim. 'Was he summoned?'

'Yeah, in fact I've just received a message that he's leaving...' Shanks froze.

Wait a second.

The red-haired man jumped out of his seat. Benn was just about to mouth a retort until he caught his captain's face. When Shanks looked like he's seen a ghost (when he's not drunk), it was definitely something to be concerned about. 'What is it?'

'Are all the free agents on the field?'

Benn scratched his head and counted them off. 'Crocodile, Doflamingo and Teach's on the move, and Kuma's probably working under the scenes again. Jinbe's lost his title over some internal dispute a few years ago, and…'

That left Hawk Eyes.

Benn snapped his attention back to his captain, who was now furrowing his brows in concentration.

Could it be…?

Shanks was ahead. 'First was the attack in Shimotsuki Village, the death of Koshiro, an active supplier for the Revolutionary Army. Yasopp led the investigation after you insisted something was wrong-'

'And found claw marks and cracks on the charred remains of the dojo.' Benn scratched his head. 'It didn't made sense. There were _crates _around the earth, and the claw marks we found didn't match any of the enemy profiles we had, and if the government had been behind them, the job would've been a lot cleaner.'

Shanks nodded. 'The Black Cats were the only group that made sense at that time, and…'

'We just received confirmation of evidence that they're involved with the World Government, at least to an extent.'

Suddenly, Shanks found it a little harder to breathe. 'Both attacks, both with affiliates with the World Government, both exaggerated violent attacks. The World Government is never that reckless, not unless they have something to gain, which means…'

_**They're trying to distract us.**_

_If the rest of the free agents had made a move, that can only mean that Mihawk had been excluded from the official summon. _

**I've been summoned to Mariejois. **

The truth seeped into him slowly, like melting icicle cubes.

This was not good.

Shanks stood from his seat mechanically. 'Benn, try to contact Mihawk. If he doesn't answer, contact his house. I'll be on my way.'

'Whoa whoa. What's it this time, Captain?'

Shanks stared down at him, face hard and cold.

_**They're trying to distract us. **_

'Cipher Pol is missing from the picture.'

**xXxXxXxXx**

'… Agent Hawk Eyes.'

Said man lifted his eye and glared at the man across the table. 'What do you want?' He didn't have patience to waste today. It didn't help that this government scum wore a leather mask around his _face_, and the glint in his eyes was not calming his nerves down. He never liked the World Government headquarters. The atmosphere was suffocating, to be surrounded by idiots and enemies alike.

He hated it. He hated being the government's free agent that ripped him of the freedom and thrill he lavished in. But he took a deep breath and sighed. No point in dwelling in things that could have been.

The man – Spandam, was it? – leaned forward. 'It's not just about what the government wants this time, Mihawk. Bartholomew Kuma told me about your… previous acquaintance with this man. You were opponents in the old days, weren't you?' He smirked. 'It's killing two birds with one stone. On one hand you'll be doing your job, and on the other you'll have reve-'

'Get to the point.' His voice sliced across Spandam's like his sword. Koshiro was an honourable man. These people had no right to insult his death so casually, not when they–according to Shanks – might have something to do with his death, and the pain of a boy he had come to… enjoy the presence of.

Spandam didn't look fazed the least. 'Ah, to the point. Yes, yes, of course.' Spandam waved at the guard standing behind him. He took a step forward, and handed him a piece of document. He passed the piece of paper across the table. 'You'll find mission details inside.' He leaned back against his chair, hands rested behind his head.

Mihawk's raised his brow at the title.

**Capture Shanks le Roux**

… What?

'Is this a joke?' he growled at the other man.

Spandam shook his head. 'The World Government don't do jokes, I'm afraid. It's all business.'

'I am not selling my old comrade for your sake.' He stood from his chair, and slid the paper back to Spandam. 'If you want to him, ask someone else to deal with it.' How dare they even suggest him to betray Shanks. They might not have always been on the greatest terms, but to stab his friend in the back… That was the greatest of sins. He smirked. 'Try to take him down if you can. He didn't become one of the Great Emperors of the Underground for nothing.'

Spandam sighed. 'And I was hoping we could've gone through this without any problems. I guess you leave me no choice.'

His face morphed into a wild grin.

'You have two choices, Hawk Eyes. Your old friend, or the little boy under your wing?'

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

'_The Government is hunting down survivors of the Gray Terminal, and eliminate them and their descendants.'_

_Mihawk crossed his arms. As much as he liked to relax in his house, a free agent was right in front of him. This could be a trap for all he knew, and he wasn't about to let his boredom get the better of him. 'Isn't that old news? The Gray Terminal tragedy happened around ten years ago, and the Revolutionaries took care for that.'_

'_Yes, they did.' The woman flipped her hair. Black circles marred her eyes, like she hadn't been sleeping well as she gazed at the little girl sleeping soundlessly on the couch. 'And they handled it well, considering the government failed to trace the locations of these survivors. But recently, they've obtained a list of affiliates to these survivors – from the raid in Ohara, I heard- , and Gecko Moriah was one of them-'_

'_I see.' He wasn't surprised, to be honest. With his weird habits, Mihawk had learned to expect the unexpected from him. 'But that doesn't explain why you're here.'_

_The woman's head rolled back towards the ceiling. Mihawk thought it looked a bit… strange. 'Silence! Don't you know it's rude to interrupt a lady?' Her head snapped back, and she took a deep breath. 'Moriah was stripped of his position, and we free agents were ordered to eliminate his private island.' Hancock's gaze turned back to the child. 'But during the attack, Moriah requested Kuma and I to spare the life of this child in exchange with his.' _

'_And for his honour, Kuma accepted.' Mihawk closed his eyes. It sounded like what an ex-member of the Revolutionary Army would do._

_Hancock's eyes narrowed in sorrow. 'Yes. And as leader of Amazon Lily, I cannot leave this young girl be.' Her eyes glazed over. 'I have hidden her in the Kuja tribe for almost a year, but the government has grown suspicious, and Kuma has no place to hide the girl as well.' She bit her lip, and her eyes strayed to the sleeping girl. 'I cannot allow my actions to endanger the lives of my brethren.'_

'_So you came to me.' Mihawk resisted the urge to slam his face on the wall. Here, a woman he had only seen in the news, was asking him to protect a kid. He was Dracule Mihawk, Greatest Swordsman in the World. Did he look like someone who could handle children? 'Of all people, why me?'_

_Hancock sniffed. 'I could care less about you. But Bartholomew Kuma suggested here the safest place to hide, it's not like I had a choice.' Her eyes drifted back to his. 'For their safety, I cannot return to my sisters for the time being. But I cannot abandon this child to the cruelties of the World Government.' She turned back to him, her eyes determined, and took a deep breath. 'Can you pl-'_

_Mihawk raised his hand. 'Save it. An Empress like you shouldn't get down to her knees so easily in front of a stranger.' He sighed. 'I have a spare room upstairs. Rest for a bit.' His face turned hard. 'But I expect a full explanation after your mind has cleared.'_

_Hancock smirked, but the pure relief shone in her eyes didn't escape his. 'You know, for an underground scum, you're not half as bad.'_

_Mihawk smirked back. 'For an arrogant woman who uses beauty to escape everything, you're not half as bad as you're rumoured to be either.'_

'_Watch your tongue, foolish male.'_

**xXxXxXxXxXx**

'Take a break, idiot.' Perona huffed, but made no move from her comfortable position on the cushion chair at the corner of Zoro's room. She'd learned that the boy could be stubborn as hell when he wanted to. 'You've been at it for an hour. Daddy did say he'll be gone for the day.'

'I have to be ready when he comes back.' Zoro grunted and continued with push-ups. 'Two hundred and… Two hundred and… Urgh, you made me lose count!' He collapsed to the ground and glared at the girl. 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?'

'Did not,' Perona countered absently as she twiddled with Kumashi in her arms. 'I wonder where daddy went…' She frowned. 'He looked quite worried...'

She'd noticed, the frown that seemed to etch deeper and deeper on her father's forehead since Zoro arrived, and the bags that were slowly forming under his eyes wasn't normal either. As far as she knew, daddy _never _worked so hard for his job. He preferred to take his time and laze around to the point of having government workers knocking at their door. In fact, the only time she had seen him work so hard was for…

_For me, _Perona thought firmly as stared into Kumashi's eyes. She shifted her gaze to the boy, who was untying the black bandanna on his head. _And I'm sure this time… it's for Zoro._

She remembered the night when Zoro stumbled on their doorstep. Those injuries made it clear that someone had tried to hurt him.

_If daddy's doing his best to protect him, I need to protect him too._

Suddenly, the phone rang. Both children froze for moment, before snapping towards each other. 'You get it!' they shouted simultaneously.

'No, you get it! I'm busy!'

'No, I'm tired! You get it!'

'I'm playing with Kumashi! You get it!'

'You call that busy? Get it!'

'Just get it, stupid!'

'YOU get it!'

_What if it was an enemy? _

That thought made Perona pause. 'Fine,' she shrugged and stood up, plopped Kumashi on the cushion chair and trotted out of the room without a word.

Zoro blinked. That had been easier than he thought.

The girl sighed, and strode to the phone perched on a table next to the staircase. She glared at it for a moment, and picked it up. 'Hello?'

'Who's there?' A loud voice boomed across the line. 'This is Benn Beckman, Shanks' first mate.'

The girl blinked. 'Benn?' Shanks' first mate? She's heard about him a few times, from the red-haired man and her father (normally when the latter curses the former). 'This is Perona. Why…'

'Is Mihawk there?' His voice sounded unnaturally loud, afraid even.

'No, he left for work, and won't be back till the end of the day.'

'At work? He's not home?'

'Yeah, but if you want I can-'

'You're Perona, aren't you?' Benn interrupted. 'Listen. You're not safe now. You're targeted by government agents, and they could be arriving any moment. You said Mihawk's left, didn't you? When did he-'

The alarm bells in Perona's head began to screech. 'Wait wait! What do you mean "we're being targeted"?' The girl ran back to her room, and breathed a sigh of relief when Zoro lifted his head in confusion.

The man on the other line sighed. 'Answer me. When did Mihawk leave the house?'

'He left after lunch a few hours ago, and he said he won't be back till night. But what's happening? Is daddy in danger?' From the corner of her eye she saw Zoro frown, and reached out to grab the white sword perched against his bed. It made her feel a little safer, just a little.

Benn sucked a breath. 'Perona, I want you to listen carefully. You have the green haired boy there, don't you? Zoro, his name, was it? There are people coming to capture him.'

Perona's heart stopped. Her eyes widened, and slowly, she looked down to meet the confuse pair of eyes staring back up. 'What…?'

'And they are _not good people_. I'm not so sure about Hawk Eyes, but he can probably take care of himself. What's important is for the both of you to stay safe. Shanks is on his way, so try to pull through until he arrives.' The man paused to breathe. 'I want you to stay away from the windows, and whatever happens _do not_ open the doors.'

Her gaze flickered to the room door and she rushed to shut it before crouching down next to Zoro. The boy furrowed his brows. 'Perona…?'

'I've shut the doors,' she breathed, and took a deep breath. Calm down, Perona. It wasn't like they were going bash through the windows now. It had been a smooth day, the sun was shining, and there wasn't much to worry about…

'Good. Now stay quiet until Shanks arrive. He's should be arriving any moment no-'

The doorbell rang.

'… Benn?'

'Yes?'

'Shanks doesn't ring the doorbell when he's in a hurry, does he?' Well, even when he wasn't in a hurry, Perona had seen her fair share of times how their poor door flew across the living room and left lying on the ground…

She could hear the frown from the other side of the line. 'No, Shanks isn't one to bother with-'

The doorbell rang again. Zoro stood to answer it, sword in hand, but Perona yanked him back to the ground.

'Oi! What's with-'

'Stay down!' she hissed, and the boy immediately silenced at the wild, frantic eyes boring onto his. 'Be quiet!'

It rang again.

'Perona? You there? Perona?'

'Someone's at the front door.'

'What?'

'Someone. Is. At. The. Front. Door. Ringing. The. Bell.' Perona growled through gritted teeth, and scanned the room. They had to find a place to hide, just in case they break down the door. Somewhere that could hide the both of them. The curtains won't do, and the space under the desk was too trapped. Her gaze landed on the cushion chair she sat on moments ago. It was black and solid and large and facing the door against the wall, and it provided an easy escape if they needed…

'Perona, what's going on?'

A loud crash split across the house.

'Get behind the chair now!' The girl half shouted, half pushed the confused boy towards the corner of the room. She could hear footsteps now, and they were heavy through the house, thumping and running, the steps too quick for her to comprehend (how on earth could anyone run so fast?), and she heard someone leaping up the stairs a few steps at a time, disappeared, then a loud thump was heard outside the door…

Zoro stumbled behind the cushion chair.

The door slammed open.

Perona whipped her head to the intruder and stumbled back against the wall, eyes wide.

The man before her was grinning, but Perona shivered at the intimidating aura that rolled off him in waves. He straightened up quickly, and his long braided hair and strange looking mustache moved with him.

'Oh! Now there's someone here.' He turned back to the door. 'Oi guys! I found a kid!'

Perona gulped, and the ghosts around the room drifted closer. The negative ghosts would help if she needed to buy time…

They came quicker than she could've imagined. Barely a heartbeat without the hint of footsteps another man appeared, and what caught Perona was the brutally long and squarish (was that even possible?) nose on the man's face.

'Hahaha! I found him first!' The first stranger whacked the other in the shoulder. 'I win!'

The new stranger mumbled something under his breath, pulled at his cap and rubbed his shoulder. When he noticed the girl, he smiled. 'Ah, you must be Perona, daughter of Dracule Mihawk.' He took off his cap and bowed. 'Nice to meet you. My name is Kaku, and this idiot here (HEY!) is Jyabura. Lucci is on his way. Sorry for breaking down your door, by the way. We thought no one's at home.'

At that moment, a stranger stepped through the door. Unlike the others, the aura radiating from this man wasn't intimidating. It was _murderous_. The man sported a grave frown on his face, along with the black suit and black, wavy hair and a black top hair covering his dark-skinned frame, and his eyes bore down at hers like a predator's on a prey's. Perona thought he looked like a monster out with the thirst to kill. She raised her arms to rub her shoulder, and bit her lip. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zoro's free hand resting the sword's scabbard. He must have sensed the killing intent, too.

'_Shanks is on his way, so try to pull through until he arrives.'_

Those words rang in her head, and shone in her with renewed courage. Shanks was on the way. He was strong. He'd protect them. They just needed to take care of themselves until he arrived.

'_There are people after him, and they are not good people.'_

Her grip on the phone tightened. They haven't spotted Zoro, so there was still hope. She just had to distract them long enough until Shanks came, and these people wouldn't hurt her without a reason, would they? Besides, the second guy looked nice... r.

Yeah. Not too hard. She could do that.

So with a deep breath, Perona stepped forward. 'Who are you?'

Her voice shook.

A smirk stretched across Lucci's face.

'Pardon for the intrusion, young lady.' He removed his top hat and bowed. 'We are members Cipher Pol 9, and we're here under government orders to search the house.'

Yeah, she could do it. Government agents weren't much of a big deal. Her father handled them all the time. No big deal, right?

… Right?

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><p><strong>... Don't kill me. <strong>

**If anyone is wondering why Mihawk sent the text message to Shanks in the first place, I reckon if that if an ex-criminal were to enter the World Government headquarters, their phones will probably be confiscated or checked through.**** Just to clear that up.**

**And if anyone's confused at what's happening in the chapter, don't hesitate to ask. But more will be revealed... soon. And I apologise for the reviews I didn't reply the last chapter. I was busy tending to my grandfather. I'll get to it as soon as I can.**

**See ya in the next chapter!  
><strong>


	8. Devil's Children

**Alright. I said I split this into 2 parts. So this chapter was supposed to wrap up the part. BUT. BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT. I expanded it, again. Dunno how, but I did. So. SO. It's so long now that they're gonna be individual chapters. And this chapter is a shorter than the others, but continuing it would kinda ruin it, so I stopped.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Devil's Children<strong>

'_Tell me, Hawk Eyes. Have you ever heard of the Devil's Children?'_

Those, were the words that changed his life forever.

'_Myth goes that the Devil's children were born with powerful abilities that bring misfortune to the world.' Hancock closed her eyes. 'The World Government had been hunting them down since it was first established, and the Free Agents were employed partly to search for these people. Once they were identified, they would either be forced to serve the World Government, and those who were deemed useless or opposed to them would be imprisoned in the Gray Terminal.'_

_The Great Swordsman in the World raised his brow. 'How many of these "Devil Children" are there?'_

'_I don't know, but depending on the individual, their powers are strong enough to be deemed a weapon by the Gorosei, and a threat to their position.' _

'_Then what does that have to do with the junkyard burnt down years ago?' At least, as much as he could remember about the Gray Terminal and Dragon's rise to fame… He was busy with Shanks' enemies at the time to have paid much attention at what was happening around the world._

_Hancock rolled her eyes. 'Men, so impatient. Anyway, it was around then the number of Devil's children in the Gray Terminal became a threat, and when they started attacking the citizens of Goa, the Revolutionary Army declared war with the World Government._

_Mihawk's eyes widened. 'It was a declaration they were going to recruit them.' _

_The woman nodded. 'And most of them survived the disaster, thanks to Dragon's intervention. But that had been almost ten years ago. Now, a huge number of Devil's children thrive free all over the world, and the World Government has been hunting them down ever since. The attack on Ohara was a display of how desperate they had become.'_

'_Ohara?' Mihawk's attention perked. 'What do they have to do with that?'_

_The woman leaned forward towards the man opposite her, and clasped her hands together. The blanket draped around her shoulders slid forward, framing the thoughtful frown etched on her face. 'Don't you think it's strange, Hawk Eyes? Why do Devil's Children exist? How did they came to be? Mysteries don't appear out of nowhere from history.' She paused. 'I can be wrong, but I believe the Devil's Children have is stems from the Void Century. … It may be what the World Government is trying to hide from the world.'_

'_The Void Century, huh… ' His gaze turned thoughtful. '… Does Nico Robin know?'_

'_To some extent. They wouldn't have burned an island down, or put a bounty on a little girl for no reason.' She rolled her eyes. 'Even us free agents have no idea what's going on about it.'_

'_If you think Ohara has something to do with the devil's child, why don't you just hand over the girl?' Mihawk's gaze flitted back to the woman, and something sharp and challenging flickered dangerously in those golden eyes. 'She's posing a threat to you and your people, isn't she? The World Government wouldn't hesitate repeating the same Buster Call on your island as they did on Ohara.'_

'_Absolutely not!' she sat up in a flare, and glared at him. 'Devil Child or not, as the Empress of the Kuja tribe it's my responsibility to protect her from the evil hands of the World Government!'_

_Perhaps it was duty that restrained her from doing so, or maybe a brush from the cruelty of the world government, even kindness that stopped her from doing what she knew was best. But what stopped Mihawk from probing further was the haunted look in her eyes, the hollow caverns that whispered years and years of pain and torture and __**fear**__._

_As curious as he was, Mihawk couldn't bring himself to ask what that meant._

_So instead he closed his eyes and leaned back against his chair. '… So what is this girl's ability?'_

'_I have yet found out.'_

_Mihawk sighed. '… Fine. The girl can stay as long as she needs to.' He glared at her. 'But if you give me any trouble more than necessary, I'll slice you in half, got that?'_

_The reply was immediate. 'What's in it for you?'_

_He blinked, and saw the suspicion in the woman's eyes. He shrugged. 'You give me no reason to doubt you.'_

_**Because no one could fabricate a look like that.**_

'_Besides,' Mihawk sighed. 'I'm no good with kids.'_

_**You're not doing this for yourself. That's enough for me.**_

_Hancock's laughter could be heard through the whole house._

**xXxXxXxXx**.

'… What tipped you off?'

Spandam grinned. 'Witness reports. News spread about a new boy you've got even before the Wanted Posters were issued. And coincidentally, they matched those of Roronoa Zoro's.' He lifted his hand backwards, and the assistant behind pushed her glasses upwards, drew a stack of pictures from her back and handed it to Spandam. He scattered them over the table, and Mihawk scanned through them. He froze.

'You have no idea how much information you can get by tapping security cameras from the mall.' His gaze flittered through the blurry images of himself, with a little boy with his hat or a black bandanna in his arms, or chasing behind him.

He clenched his fists.

'How careless, Hawk Eyes.' Spandam rested his head against his palm with a smirk. 'To think you would underestimate us again! Do you think you can actually win from us, the world?'

Mihawk remained silent, and his grin widened. 'Do you understand how insignificant you are to stand against us? We are everywhere, a unity of over 100 nations. It is impossible for you to hold against us. The mere fact that you are here is a testament of our strength! My strength!' The man finally lost his composure. He whipped his head back, and burst out laughing, accidentally knocking the photographs off his desk. 'I, who chained the Greatest Swordsman in the World to the service of the World Government! That is true power!' He laughed, and laughed, long and loud, and all the while Mihawk stood there, still and silent as the grave.

Finally, the laughter died down. Mihawk's face remained blank and motionless as the room resumed to a strained silence, and after a few longer moments of eternity, The World's Greatest Swordsman uttered a sentence that rang clear through the whole room.

'What the hell are you talking about?'

More silence.

Spandam's jaw dropped. 'What do you mean what I'm talking about! I'm referring to our contract! Or is it the reason for your similar mistake this time?' The smirk returned. 'This is no different. The boy or Red Hair. Your choice.'

Mihawk smirked back. 'You do know that even if I tried, Shanks wouldn't fall so easily. He has the support of hundreds of men behind him-'

'And you have the power of the marines to utilize.'

His eyes sharpened. 'Do you really think you can bring down one of the Four Great Emperors so easily? Even if you defeat him through sheer strength, his wit isn't something to be underestimated.' _Or rather, Benn's wits, he added. _

To hell with the contract, there was no way he was going betray Shanks. And if harbouring two Wanted children by the World Government isn't enough, even a high-ranking government official wouldn't be able to secure their safety any longer.

So with the air of someone entering a battlefield, Mihawk took a step forward, and drew his sword. 'Don't misunderstand. You may have offered the deal to me, but from the beginning, I was never "chained" into a free agent by you, or the World Government.' Kokuto Yoru slid out of its sheath with a ring, and shone deadly under the room's light.

'_As much as I want to, I cannot stand by this child forever.'_

_Mihawk saw the struggle in her eyes, the desperate __**wanting **__to keep the girl safe and a steel resolve tampered by years and years of loyalty to her own people, and sighed. He sat down, and uttered a sentence that rang clear through the whole room._

'_Then I'll protect her.'_

'I… was chained by my own carelessness.'

**xXxXxXx**

Zoro was lost.

He was hopelessly _lost._

_Just this time, _he added inwardly. But days and months of training had sharpened his senses, and he reached down and gripped his sword, body tense and ready to fight. It paid to be alert, especially with the almost-insane look Perona wore when she snapped at him. Zoro knew he wasn't the smartest of people, but he knew when to cut the crap and get down to business.

_If they __**dare **__hurt Perona…_

Zoro's instincts pulsed, sending bubbles of air choking down his throat that whoever standing out there was dangerous, _powerful_. His hands itched, and twitched, sending shivers down his shoulders and crawling to his neck. He closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath.

_Focus, Zoro. Focus._

'Pardon the intrusion, young lady.' A deep voice spoke. 'We are members Cipher Pol 9, and we're here under government orders to search the place.'

_**Danger. **_A voice whispered, a familiar one, ringing in his ears like crystal clear streams. That was Wado. He could sense it then, the cold chill rolling in waves from the middle of the room.

… Who were these people?

'Liar,' he heard Perona spat. Her voice was meek, unlike the loud girl he knew. 'Good people don't break into people's houses!' Despite the waver in her voice, the girl stepped forward. 'You're going to hurt me, are you?'

_**Kill.**_

Zoro froze, his grip on Wado tightened.

Who…?

_**Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.**_

Whose voice…?

A sigh drifted across the room. 'No need to scare the girl, Lucci. There's no reason for us to search.'

Someone shifted, and Zoro could hear the bored skeptic in the man's tone. 'Oh?' A pause.

Footsteps.

The voice chanted, louder, faster.

_**KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL, KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL.**_

'Wait-'

Then, it struck him.

Zoro whipped up his head in time to see a grinning face from above, a claw-like hand reaching out towards him.

DAMN IT!

'Negative ghosts!'

Zoro leapt away in time when the man slumped forward, grabbed Perona's hand and dashed out of the room.

Cipher Pol 9. Government agents. What were they doing here?

'Look out!'

Perona pushed him to the ground when a shadow leapt across the air, landing with a screech a few feet in front of them. He was dark-skinned with long hair tied in a ponytail, with a pair of glasses on the top of his head and a weird looking moustache. Beneath his unbuttoned shirt, Zoro couldn't help but stare at the ripple of muscles firm and strong as the playful glint in his eyes.

'Damn it,' he hissed, glaring at his chest in envy, and looked down at his own. 'Why don't I have them?' Even after all that training! Hasn't he gotten stronger?

'This isn't the time to pay attention to THAT!' Perona screeched, and turned around. Lucci stepped forward, and stared down at them from the top of the stairs with his hands in his pocket.

His eyes narrowed. '… So that's your Devil's power, huh?'

The strange nosed man followed behind him with a sigh. 'Lucci, there's no reason to hurt them. They're kids, you know?'

'We have our orders,' he replied coldly.

'Naaaaaaaaaah, you guys are idiots.' Jyabura straightened up, and jabbed a thumb to his chest. 'But me, now I'm a nice guy. So don't worry about me!' A pair of sharp teeth shone through his grin, and they backed away a little.

Kaku crossed his arms. 'Spandam might be interested to how she grew though. You reckon we drag her along?'

Lucci nodded. 'Capture them both.'

It all happened quickly. One second Perona was beside him with an arm around his shoulder, the next she was in the air, Jyabura's hand clasped over her mouth. She struggled in his grasp with muffled screams, trying to pull the hand away from her mouth, eyes teary and wide with panic.

He licked his lips. 'Can't have you doing that again, huh?'

'Damnit!' Zoro spun around and stabbed forward. The man side-stepped, and suddenly he was in the air, dangling with the world upside down.

'Calm down, kid. We're not gonna hurt you, don't give a reason to.' The strange-nosed man said indignantly, and the hand on his leg tightened. Zoro swung his sword at him-

-only to be blocked by his arm.

Zoro gritted his teeth and pressed forward. The arm did not move, nor did it bleed. It reminded him of solid steel, and he paled slightly.

Who were these people?

The man reached out, and yanked Wado from his arm. Zoro growled and swiped at him, but Kaku waved him aside. He struck again, only to have his head slammed to the ground.

'Give it back!' He couldn't lose their sword, their promise! The only thing that binds him to Kuina, or sensei, he couldn't let these people take them!

'_Whatever you do, do not let them have Wado!'_

… No. No! They cannot them away!

_Sensei!_

_Kuina!_

Then suddenly, the pressure was gone, Wado clattering beside him. He groaned and clutched the sword to his chest, shivering.

_... What happened?_

Perona scrabbled towards him, and he frowned at the red mark on her face. She was staring past him, a look of pure relief shining in her eyes.

Zoro turned around.

With his back facing towards them and a black cape billowing from the draft blowing from the newly crashed door, stood a man with hair as fiery as the flames.

'Red Hair Shanks.' The corner of Lucci's mouth quirked. 'An honour.'

'Shanks!' Perona burst out in a sob. 'Shaaaaaanks!'

'Sorry I took so long.' His shoulder rose and sagged heavily. 'Are you two alright?'

'We're fine.' Zoro replied, and grabbed Perona's hand. She squeezed back.

The man nodded, and turned back to the enemy. He frowned. '… CP9?'

Jyabura cracked his knuckles. 'One and only.'

'… Didn't Spandam ask Hawk Eyes to hunt this guy?' Kaku scratched his head. 'If he's here, then who would Hawk Eyes go after?'

'No one.' A predatory smirk stretched across Lucci's face. 'Let the contract be void. If we get the children and Red Hair, the only thing left would be to label Hawk Eyes a criminal harbouring two Wanted Children.' A maniacal light shone in his eyes. 'It's bound to happen, the World Government to learn the truth.'

Shanks narrowed his eyes, and raised his cutlass.

_Never again, he decided. **Never again.**_

'Try me.'

**xXxXxXxXx**

He did not know her.

She came into his life like the breeze brought in by a gust of wind, gracefully and unexpectedly. But nonetheless, her presence was cool and welcoming from the hours of blazing sunlight and layers of sweat.

That was all she ever did, really. Fueling him with a sense of purpose, and a sense of mutuality. They were much similar than they were willing to admit, but both of them stubborn to acknowledge the bonds that forged between them as time passed.

He never realised how precious the wind was until it was gone.

'_**I'll protect her.'**_

'_**Let's make a promise! One of us will become the greatest swordsman in the world! Let's see who can reach that goal first!'**_

Even as he said those last words, looking back, he never understood her. The haunted, pained look in her eyes, or why she fought so hard for what she did. He never knew.

… Did she receive the sense of comfort she gave him? Did she get what she deserved, in the end?

Realising that, realising how he never knew **her**, he finally began to change.

Chasing after her shadow with a sword in hand, perhaps he was trying to escape from reality, maybe regret, but what he knew with crystal clear clarity was that he saw her in the things he did now, and even if a little, he wanted to know more about the person he never understood.

The person he never came to cherish.

And with this belief – of protecting and fighting and _love_ – on that day, at the same time in two opposite sides of the city, all hell broke loose.

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><p><strong>... Review? See you in the next chapter! :D<strong>


	9. Answers

**I just want to say – before the story starts – that I'm sorry for the long hiatus. You'll find out more about it at the end of the chapter. Just gonna start a little preview to get everyone back in gear.**

**In the previous chapters, Mihawk had taken in a young Zoro who's wanted by the World Government. Shanks and Mihawk had their suspicions, but then Mihawk had been summoned to the World Government's headquarters, in which Spandam – the leader of CP9 – had threatened him to choose between Shanks or Zoro lest he be taken in. Thinking that the WG's stupid for even thinking of blackmailing him, he refused to all choices and chaos. In the meanwhile, Shanks found out that Mihawk being summoned was part of a distraction and went to rescue Perona and Zoro from the CP9. Benn called in Yasopp and Lucky Roo as back up to fight against the three CP9 agents as Shanks escaped with the children.**

**Now finally, after months of hiatus, on to the story!**

**xXxXxXx**

**Chapter 8: Answers**

In the beginning, he had dared to hope.

He had dared to believe, believe that as the days pass, the grabbing hands and eerie eyes from the darkness would disappear from his life with the memories that faded into nothing but a distant nightmare. Everything had changed so much, but even so, never has a day passed without him wondering if he should leave and run, run less he condemn these kind people to the doom that befell the ones he cared about. After all, they were chasing him, they were after the sword, and with this sword that stayed every passing second these people were exposed to danger he was trying to avoid, but he refused to let go of the final wish he made with sensei. But a day stretched into a week, then two, and finally a month had passed peacefully, and between the promises he made and the training Mihawk gave and the not-so-unfamiliar company Perona provided (though he distinctly remembered the girl he once knew being less noisy than she was), his footsteps became lighter and the hand on his sword eased, just slightly.

He was selfish, he knew. But he remembered the countless nights on the run, hiding and sprinting and dodging and fighting and hurting in the cold, bitter wind, through the raging storms and blazing sun, so different from the life he had once knew. And now that he had that sort of familiarity back, that sense of security back… The World's Greatest Swordsman was not one to mess with, after all, and having him around was far safer than being out in the open alone in the streets. Maybe they stood a chance, maybe he wouldn't be swallowed by the fire that sensei was, wouldn't fall as Kuina had.

And within this safety confines, Zoro hesitated.

He had brought this upon them. Those predatory eyes had returned, those grabbing hands once again reaching out to hurt, and at the moment it was all he could do to wrap his arm tighter around the shoulder that supported him and squeezed the hand clasped around his neck and listen to the sniffles of the girl behind him and the clanking of Wado on his hip echoing throughout the surrounding ding.

He didn't know how long Shanks had been running, how long he had been carrying them, but the man's footsteps never faltered as he rushed down the sewers and raced across system, and Zoro leaned closer towards the strong, sweaty back against his chest, closed his eyes, and refused to forget.

**xXxXxXx**

'Are you alright, sir?'

Spandam rubbed his face and groaned. 'I'll live, Blueno.' Thank goodness he had him ready instead of sending him off with Lucci, just as he'd volunteered. He stepped from the air door out into the meeting room, and surveyed the surroundings.

The room was a mess. No, a mess was an understatement. In the middle of the room where Mihawk once stood was now a huge, long crack that stretched across the floor, up the walls and right into the ceilings. The table before him was sliced cleanly into two, toppled on either side of the room with chairs and wooden splinters strewn all over the floor. The window behind him was shattered, broken glass exploding outwards with remnants lingering on the cracked window frames.

This was the power of the World's Greatest Swordsman.

At the same time, a large man strode into the room, glancing at the damage with a look of eerie calm. His white hair contrasted heavily with the brown walls, the two cigars perched on his lips sending waves of smoke into the room. Spandam frowned. When he first met this man, he couldn't believe a marine was stupid enough to go against protocol of smoking.

The man finally rested his eyes on him, the scowl on his face darkening, and spoke with a tone of satisfied amusement. 'The Gorosei's gonna have your head for this.'

'Shut up and report, Commodore Smoker.'

'Hawk Eyes got away.' The scowl deepened again, and Spandam knew with a sense of satisfaction that Smoker was displeased. 'One moment he was cornered and ready to blast his way through, another moment he was gone. We're trying to find traces of what happened. And screw the damage reports, this whole floor needs rebuilding. It's like a war zone out there. Whatever you said to Hawk Eyes, he didn't seem happy. No casualties, but heaps of injuries.' He paused. 'And the reception's gone. The guy on duty said he took his phone back.'

Spandam spared a glance at Kalifa, who had the communicator on her ear pressed tightly between his fingers. His eyes flitted back to Smoker, and nodded. 'Keep up the search. Send any remaining uninjured to clean up the place, and the rest to medical.' He paused. 'That will be all.'

'And you? Not gonna run to save yourself?'

Spandam smirked. 'I have matters I must attend to. Important matters.'

Smoker muttered something under his breath that sounded like 'Dirty government agents,' before sulking out of the room, as if trying to get away from him as fast as possible. Once the door slammed shut (at least, as shut as it could go), Spandam turned to his secretary. 'Well?'

'The entire base's been searched, sir. As you suspected, Bartholomew Kuma is gone. Reports say that Kuma was present before Hawk Eyes disappeared. I suspect he's been using the paws Vegapunk's installed onto him.'

'I knew it!' Spandam slammed his fist against his palm. 'Ever since he managed to convince the board to bring Hawk Eyes in as a Shichibukai, that guy's been acting strange. He must've helped Mihawk to escape, must've been helping him hide the kid all this time!' The smirk grew into a sharp grin. 'Now that the truth's been exposed, the Gorosei will surely approve of Vegapunk's plan of Pascifista Modification when he's captured. Finally, he is out of the way.' He clasped his hands together, absolute glee taking hold of his being that he found himself shaking slightly. Another promotion, a favour from Vegapunk. This was absolutely perfect. He lifted his head. 'And Lucci?'

'Sends his apologies that the boy and the sword escaped.'

Spandam sprang in his seat, fury etched in his expression. 'What?'

'Apparently Shanks le Roux showed up and took the boy away, along with the Devil's Child. Two of his subordinates came to back him up. By the time they were able to get through, he's disappeared.'

'What about those two?'

'Escaped, sir. They are Shanks' men.'

'Damnit!' Spandam rubbed his forehead and refrained himself from striking out at the furniture. There was enough damage as it was. 'Now that the kid's with Shanks, it'd be impossible to reach him.'

'The Black Cats might be able to find them, considering their network.'

'Yes, but we need as much of the Merry's family assets as we can, considering the future operations.' Kalifa lifted her hand to her communicator again, and Spandam drifted into his thoughts. As a force, Shanks and Mihawk would be nigh impossible to defeat, nor were they ones to back down. Now that the boy was in their hands, it would be difficult to extract him from their clutches. He would have to wait, wait until they loosen their grip to take him, or until their secondary plan came into motion.

'Shichibukai reports had just came in, sir.' Kalifa's voice cut through his thoughts. 'The infiltration to the trading points was a success. Weapons had been gathered, bases had been secured, and the men are scurrying the layouts as we speak.'

The smirk returned. 'Good. Tell them to leave no stone unturned.' When Kalifa resumed her conversation, Spandam turned to Blueno. 'Get Lucci and the others back. I have another assignment for them.'

Blueno nodded. 'Yes, boss.' And with that, he shut the air door behind and disappeared without a word.

Spandam allowed a huge grin to grace his face. Now with Kuma out of the way and the trading points of two Underworld Emperors seized, no matter how short a time, the plan has been set into motion.

Too long had they fought these criminals. Too long had the Devil's Children roam free under their rule. Too long had the World Government fought for the true justice the world deserved.

Now, it was time to end this war once and for all, and Spandam would stand above it all and watch them burn.

**xXxXxXx**

'You'll be safe here awhile. This is one of the secret bases of the Revolutionary Army back in the days, no one but our remaining allies know of this place.'

Mihawk took a step forward but did not lower his sword. 'What's the meaning of this, Kuma?'

Kuma paused. His eyes hidden behind the dark shades, the Bible pressed against his chest unmoving as he waited for him to continue.

'Don't think I've forgotten about our previous conversations.' He narrowed his golden eyes. 'Why are you here? Why did you help me? How did you know about Roronoa?'

Kuma paused again. Both of them remained their stance in the dark empty room, lighted by only a dull ceiling lamp. Then, he spoke. 'No. I am not working with the World Government. But there is something you need to know.' He gestured to the sofa at the side of the room.

Slowly, carefully, Mihawk lowered his sword, but refused to let his guard down. His grip remained steady as he walked to the sofa and propped himself onto the cushions. It was hard and the springs creaked loudly from his weight, but Mihawk ignored it. Kuma seated next to him, and he was vaguely reminded of the day when he asked for his help. Before he became a Shichibukai, after he found Zoro. The exact seating, but now the seats were exchanged.

This time, he realised, Kuma was the one asking for help.

'I'm dying,' Kuma said lightly.

Mihawk nodded. If it was help he needed, Mihawk would honour that. It was the least he could do after everything he had done for him.

'Vegapunk's experiments are taking its toll. As a cyborg, I feel my consciousness fading away. There are times when I can't remember what I was doing, blank spaces I can't fill. I know it's intended, but it won't be long before I become your enemy.'

'So what do you want?'

'Protect the boy.' He paused, and the hand on his Bible tightened slightly. 'After the village was attacked, I was the one who was sent to capture the boy.'

Mihawk narrowed his eyes. 'That's how you knew about him.'

Kuma nodded. 'The Black Cats were after him, sent by the World Government. I defeated them and guided the boy to your doorstep. I couldn't be seen near him out in the open, so that was the best I could do to protect him. You were the best choice.'

'But why? Why were they after him?'

'The World Government promised them a deal, one they did not intend to keep. If the Black Cats brought them the boy, Captain Kuro would be promised a third of the assets from the Merry family, in which he is now working as a butler, and an uneventful retirement. Jango's crimes would be pardoned and he is now working with the marines as we speak. That was the agreement.'

So their suspicions were true. The claw marks, the Black Cats, the Merry family, it was all connected. But… what did that had to do with Zoro?

'But why Roronoa? Why Koshiro?' He turned to stare at him. 'You know something.'

Kuma paused again. 'It was back in the old days, where Shimotsuki Village was once a peace stop for the Revolutionaries. Zoro's teacher, Koshiro, was directly involved with us back then.'

Mihawk blinked. 'He was working with you?'

'Not directly. But his village was an escape for any Devil's Children seeking for a normal life.'

'A refugee camp?'

'No, Mihawk.' Kuma's gaze bore into his, unyielding. 'A place of cure.'

Mihawk knew he was never one to get surprised easily, he prided himself for that. But now was one of those rare times, times where he was caught completely by shock, stunned into speechlessness. His grip on his sword tightened as his face went dark. 'Vegapunk's experiments to those of the Gray Terminal were irreversible. Boa Hancock died knowing that. She died _for_ that.'

'That is because she didn't know. Many don't know, but it happened. The curing didn't begin in Shimotsuki Village. It wasn't long before the World Government caught on this cure, and they want it. More and more Devil Children disappeared from the face of the earth, even when they were captured, they showed no signs of the lingering effects of Vegapunk's experiment. Knowing that, the family responsible disappeared, and generation after generation, secretly provided their services to any victims they could find, moving from one village to another-'

'-and finally landed in Shimotsuki Village.' Mihawk finished. 'And Koshiro was the doctor.' He frowned. He didn't know Koshiro possessed any healing abilities. Was it…?

'The cure isn't by hands, Hawk Eyes. It's an ancient tool, one that was pure and powerful enough to exorcise the presence of the devil. Something that had seen the days of the old wars, something that was passed down in Koshiro's family for generations.'

Mihawk's eyes widened as the truth struck him. Of course, he'd sensed something strange about it, but he never thought so deeply into it. 'Wado Ichimonji,' he whispered.

Kuma nodded. 'Koshiro's family heirloom. The World Government found out and tried to get their hands on the sword, and the tragedy in Shimotsuki Village there is a result of that.'

'And Zoro carries the sword as a legacy of Koshiro.' Mihawk scowled. 'The boy had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's the sword they want, not Roronoa.'

Kuma frowned. 'I don't think so. It takes the right swordsman to be able to access the full potential of the sword. The reason Koshiro's family was able to cure the victims because they were able to sense the presence of the unseen around them. Some of the Revolutionaries had once tried, but it was nothing to them but a common sword. And if Zoro was trained by Koshiro, he would be the only few left being able to detect such presence.'

But wait. That didn't make sense. Back then, when Zoro had just begun to hear the voice of his sword. As a swordsman, one must be able to sense the surroundings – which he knew he could do – and become one with the sword. Zoro hasn't tapped into the full potential of the sword. That was something that required training, years of attuned peace, and the boy hadn't displayed that.

If the World Government gets to him at a time like this, Mihawk didn't want to think about the things they'd do to him to make him.

'I am dying, Mihawk.' The way he said it was like talking about the weather, if it wasn't laced with the slight relief and regret. 'But I need someone to make sure that the World Government doesn't get a hold of that sword or that boy. The Revolutionaries efforts back in the days to protect these people – and even those remaining now - would be for nothing if that happened. With the boy, they will hunt them down and kill them. That is without a doubt.' His face betrayed nothing. 'Dragon's legacy must continue.'

The Worlds's Greatest Swordsman closed his eyes. Finally, the grip on his sword relaxed. 'You have my word.'

Mihawk didn't see it, but a look of relief passed Kuma's stony face at those words

**xXxXxXx**

As he approached the end of the dark sewers Shanks searched for the entrance, two scanners hidden within the smooth, concrete walls. He pressed both palms against a spot only clear to his eyes. At the bottom of the wall a tiny hole appeared and Shanks pressed his foot into it and pushed left, and suddenly the wall gave and slid with his foot, revealing a dark tunnel and spiral of staircases stretching far downwards.

This was his main base where much of his underground activities take place in the East City, one where he and Mihawk had spent most of the old days together, when he was just starting out in this area of the city. Benn had the idea of subduing the main threat of the area, but his paranoia was unnecessary as Shanks had completely brushed off his advice and crashed into the swordsman's comfort zone the first day they met. It had ended with lots of broken furniture and heaps of bill and a full-blown lecture from Benn on his part, but damn had it all been worth it.

'Hey, you kids okay back there?' he jostled the two children currently resting on (breaking) his back. Zoro had been quiet the entire journey, though Shanks couldn't decide whether it was a good thing or not. The boy nodded slowly behind him. Perona – on the other hand – had dozed off completely, tired from the day's stress and the worries pounding in her head, but he could hear her stirring behind him.

'Captain Shanks?' From the shadows a man tiptoed quietly up to the front, a gun raised in wary. Shanks smirked. Good timing for his chief security to linger around patrols. The red-haired man wasted no time in orders. 'Rockstar, start the lockdown. I want the base completely secure hile you take central commands to the security monitors. Send in any remaining guards positioned ready on the perimeter.'

Rockstar straightened his posture before nodding. 'Pursuers?'

'Possibly, and they are strong. Do not slack off, and stand alert. If anything happens, I want it reported in immediately. Is that clear?'

'Crystal, sir.' The young man whipped out his communicator and began barking orders into it. Shanks allowed him a small smile. He liked that little hothead around. He was a loyal man, and though he had his head dived in too deep at times, he was a man driven down here by ideals absent up in the surface world. He could be trusted, and that was all Shanks needed to know.

He strode down the stairs and passageways, past the rushing men and curious glances down to the main chamber. Once he reached the end of the corridor of the main room, he punched in the code and the door slid backwards.

'Shanks!' A young voice shouted and flung itself around his waist.

Shanks blinked as the little boy beamed up at him. 'Luffy? What are you doing here?'

'I brought them on the way down from the central base. Figured they might be targeted once you mess with the World Government.' At the end of the room, the chair spun, revealing a tall man with his black hair tied to a ponytail.

'Shishishishishi! I miss you! Where have you been? Why haven't you come home? Ace had been mean to me again!' Excited eyes gleamed against his, wide grin stretched upon a young face which molded into a pout. 'He starved me!'

Ace stepped forward and stopped in front of him, hands crossed. He snorted. 'He was chewing off your entire fridge. I don't think saving our food supply is count as being mean.'

Shanks laughed, and even Benn allowed himself a small smile. But then he lifted his finger to his lips as the young boy behind him stretched his neck curiously to the side. 'Ah, yes.' He turned to the back. 'Zoro, is she awake?'

The boy scowled but said nothing, only tug at his sleeve, and slowly Shanks lowered him to the floor as the boy pulled Perona's arm around his neck, his heavy sword clinking noisily against the ground from his hip. Perona stirred and blinked, and rubbed her eyes.

Luffy's grin widened. 'Zoro!' The boy raced forward and flung himself at Zoro, tackling the surprised boy to the ground. 'I missed you, Zoro!'

Shanks felt a surge of jealousy creeping from his heart (My son!), but pushed it aside. 'Ace, Luffy.' The two boys perked at their names. 'I need you to take them to one of the resting rooms. Show them the facilities and try to stay quiet. You know where it is, right?'

Luffy's pout grew as Ace nodded. He knelt down to their level and ruffled the boys' head. 'I'm counting on you, alright? Benn and I have important things to handle, and we'll be busy for awhile. So take care of them for me.'

Luffy grinned. The grin that brightened his darker days, the grin that never let him down. 'Sure!' He grabbed onto Zoro's hand and dashed out of the room, dragging Perona behind them. 'Come on! Let me show you the fridge!'

'Luffy!' Ace gritted his teeth and bolted after them. 'You're going the wrong way!'

Shanks watched them disappear down the dark hallways (No, Luffy! Luffy! Get back here!) with a wide smile on his face. But once the door slid shut, he turned his attention to Benn, and grew solemn.

'Any news from Mihawk?'

Benn shook his head, face grim. 'Couldn't get through, but I think you should watch this.' He spun towards the big computers. Shanks followed behind, leaning against the head of his chair and watched as he tapped into _something_, then all over the screen several images of a scarred, smoking building popped into view.

'-_a massive attack on the World Government's headquarters just this morning. Police had been unable to identify the actual perpetrator from the chaos, but witnesses claim that Shichibukai Dracule Mihawk was behind this attack-'_

'_It's Hawk Eye! I swear it's him! That guy brought the third floor down to the ground-'_

'_-is there anyone else capable of something like-'_

A young woman suddenly appeared on screen, pushing her glasses up the slope of her nose in front of reporters. Her hand was crossed over her clipboard, face a neutral expression.

Kalifa, daughter of World Government agent Laskey. The girl with smarts, the constant media representative of whichever team she was assigned. Currently affiliated with CP9.

Shanks narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong.

'_Shichibukai Dracule Mihawk was summoned to the headquarters for questioning regarding Roronoa Zoro's kidnapping case just this morning. As you can see,' She gestured at the building behind her. 'This is the fearsome power unleashed by the apparent mastermind behind the very thing he stood to protect. Dracule Mihawk has betrayed us, and all negotiations with the World Government – including that of his Shichibukai status - is henceforth nullified. The public is asked to be on high alert for this dangerous convict, whom the marines are now in pursuit.'_

'So he made it out?'

Shanks swallowed, throat dry. How dare… How _dare she_… 'Looks like it. He is the World's Greatest Swordsman.'

Suddenly, a loud ring shattered the ceaseless noise from the computers. Benn started from his chair, digging into his pockets and fished out a rapidly vibrating cell phone. The name on the screen flared brilliantly in the darkness.

A look of relief crossed Shanks' face. 'Link him to the computer.'

Benn did as he was told, and soon silence filled the void of the room as the news was cut off.

Mihawk spoke. 'You called, Benn?'

'We saw the news,' Shanks answered.

They could hear his breaths quiet down, almost contemplating. Then a lace of panic accompanied his tone. 'How's Perona and Roronoa?'

'They're with us, safe and unharmed. CP9 was sent after them during your absence.'

Benn smirked, eyeing his boss. 'Shanks ran after them as soon as he figured it out.' He turned back to the screen. 'Glad to know you made it in time.'

Mihawk remained silent for a moment, but Shanks could hear a slight release of breath. '… I should've been more careful.'

'We didn't know until we found out that the rest of the Shichibukai had been summoned this morning. Figured something was wrong.' Shanks paused. 'You're not the only who had been careless.'

'Summoned?'

'They've attacked several of our bases, weapon storage in the trade points. Whitebeard wasn't spared. They've took in a lot of our supplies, probably to use it themselves,' Benn rolled his eyes. 'Either that, or as evidence to charge us in court if we get ourselves caught.'

Mihawk snorted. 'Is it ever that simple?'

'I'm still looking into it. So far, their actions make no sense at all. Affiliating with the Black Cats, attacking and stealing our weaponry, trying to capture Zoro in broad daylight… They're acting too rash. Something's missing here. They're never this careless.'

Mihawk remained silent again. 'Spandam mentioned you, Shanks. He told me to choose between you or Zoro. It could mean something, even if the summon had been a distraction or an official capture. So watch out.'

Shanks smirked. 'Way ahead of you.' A thought occurred to him, and he frowned. 'Where are you anyway? I've brought Zoro and Perona down to the East base, near your area.'

'Safe. It may be a few days before I can move down there. Bartholomew Kuma helped me escaped from the headquarters.'

Benn narrowed his eyes. 'The ex-Revolutionary?'

'He can be trusted.' Mihawk's voice sliced through the air, cold and sharp as his sword and cutting off any possible debate. 'We've talked. Remember when we ran over the possibility that the Black Cats might've been involved?'

Shanks raised an eyebrow. Really, where else can you find claw marks the depth of swords, three in a row, even? There was only one man in the entire city who could do something like that.

'According to Kuma, it seems they've made a deal with the World Government. Kuro was promised the Merry family's assets and estate – apparently it belongs to their daughter Kaya, now – while Jango was promised a pardon for his crimes and a place in the marines if they brought the boy to them. They're still searching for him, but it appears the World Government's tired of waiting.'

Shanks and Benn stared at each other. So Yasopp was right. It was Kuro he saw serving in the Merry family estate. Somehow, that information filled them with a sense of dread.

'He'll still need Kaya to write a Will for the assets to pass on to him, so she's safe until the Black Cats find Roronoa.' Benn leaned back against the chair. 'Unless the World Government gets to Zoro before The Black Cats do, then she'd be in danger. Either way, the girl gets killed.' He turned to Shanks.

Shanks frowned. 'Contact Yasopp once he's in range. Their families used to be close, he needs to know. And send some men ready if anything happens. But most importantly, we can't let either of them get to Zoro, or the girl gets killed.' He turned back to the computer, where Mihawk remained silent the entire while. 'There are other lives at stake here.'

'… I'm down at Kuma's hideout. I can't ride out with troops surrounding the Central area at the moment, so the earliest I can manage is tomorrow night. Get your information ready, we'll need to exchange notes.'

A smirk adorned Shanks' face. 'Do you remember the way?'

Mihawk snorted. 'I'm not you.' He paused. 'If anything comes up, you know my number.'

Shanks smiled. 'I'll let them know you're safe.'

'I'll try cross referencing the World Government's plans, see if we can find out what they're planning.' Benn's frown deepened, his fist on his lap clenching as he eyed Shanks. '… I have a bad feeling about this, but we'll take care of them.'

'… Thank you.'

A wide grin bloomed across Shanks' face. 'So, for saving the kids, I suppose you owe me a month's worth of drinking nights-'

'_No.'_ The response was immediate, and there was a click, and the dial tone blared through the speakers as Mihawk hung up.

Shanks pouted. 'That guy needs to loosen up once in awhile.'

'I wouldn't call a night of stopping idiotic drunkard getting into trouble as relaxing, captain.' Benn said, a smirk creeping up his face as Shanks bonked him lightly on the head. Then the smirk vanished when his thoughts returned to the matters at hand. 'You do know things are worse than it seems, do you?'

Shanks raised a brow at him.

Benn sighed. 'His Shichibukai status has been revoked, captain. That means Mihawk can no longer keep Perona safe. She's a Devil's Child, and with her immunity gone the World Government will be after her. And since you've already involved yourself, Luffy and Ace will be prime targets as well.'

Shanks' expression went tight, eyes meeting Benn's. 'I'm fully aware of that. We'll need to get them somewhere safe until the storm calms. They're no longer safe with us.' His eyes darted around, and Benn waited quietly as his captain went through the options. Finally, he spoke. 'Contact Yasopp and Lucky Roo. Relay the news to Yasopp. Gather all data of the World Government activities you can manage for the past six months.'

Benn nodded, and returned his gaze to the computer. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shanks pulling out his phone from his pocket, striding to the other side of the room, back to him.

'Who are you calling?' he asked, eyes never leaving the screen as his fingers began typing on the large keyboards.

Shanks lifted his head, and pressed the phone to his ear. 'Nico Robin.'

**xXxXxXx**

Zoro didn't know how long he sat on the bed.

After much running and chasing and tugging, Ace had finally showed them the resting area (all the while with him carrying a grinning Luffy on his back), the boy had pushed the two of them for a shower as he dug through the luggage he and Luffy carried along for something to wear. Afterwards he and Luffy had sprinted to the kitchen to find something to eat ('No, Luffy! For the last time raw meat is not for guests! Makino said so!'), Perona had fallen asleep on the bed of their temporary room.

There was a lot nagging in his mind. What should he do? Where was Mihawk? Tentatively, wrapping his arms tightly around Wado Ichimonji, Zoro lay on the bed and drifted to a dreamless sleep.

When he woke, it was already dark out. Luffy had dragged them up for dinner. He had almost felt comfortable among the squeals of laughter and loud scoldings when he realised Wado wasn't by his side when his fingers reached down the table, and with a barely concealed bout of panic he had hastily excused himself and darted back to the room. Wado was tangled innocently in his blankets, and he had snatched it and cradled it close.

He had sat there, hearing the echoes of laughter ringing past the metal door, merry voices shouting for food, the noise of toppled chairs and clashing glass dinging through the corridors into what Zoro thought was his prison confinement.

And in that moment, Zoro decided.

Staying would not bring them peace. This place – safe as it was with Shanks and Benn and everyone – would not bring him peace. Staying would not protect the ones he cared about, and after today, no matter how he wished to believe, he knew he couldn't count on others to fix his problems, just like sensei sacrificed himself for it. Not anymore.

There are some things that even the World's Greatest Swordsman couldn't protect. He understood that now.

He had to get out of here.

Slowly, almost fearfully, Zoro slid from the bed, feeling the gentle touch of the ground press comfortably against his toes, almost soft against his bare feet. Wado was balanced horizontally on both palms, and as he shuffled his feet into the shoes forgotten by his bedside, Zoro stared down at the sword, and remembered.

He saw those pale, cat-like eyes piercing into his soul as he ran, ran from the crackling fire, tears running down his face as he remembered how his sensei was still trapped in the crumbling dojo, saw the lingering flashes of his panicked eyes disappeared into the engulfing fire. He saw Kuina's wide, unseeing eyes, pale skin under the moonlight drifting from the top window at the end of steep stairs. He saw Perona's face, stony with fearful tears brimming at the corners, lips pursued an attempt to be brave against an enemy she knew she could never win against.

Then at the back of his mind he felt warm arms, sturdy but soft, cradling him against a booming heartbeat. Zoro didn't understand, couldn't remember where the feeling came from or how it manifested at this precise moment, but those arms felt so real and warm, the heartbeat in his ears strong that it gave him courage, felt it seeping into his bones and he straightened up, eyes hard with a determined scowl.

'Shanks said daddy's safe. He said he's coming here tomorrow.'

Zoro was startled from his thoughts, and his head shot up frantically to regard the pink-haired girl leaning against the open door frame, arms crossed. A quirk of the corner of her lips and she released herself, stepping into the room as the door slid close behind them. 'Where do you think you're going?'

Zoro was surprised. This new calmness, it unsettled him. 'I can't stay.'

'I can't either.'

Swallowing a growing lump in his throat, Zoro nodded. His hand wrapped tightly around Wado. _**I'm here. **_he heard her whisper. _**I'll protect you. I'll avenge those who killed our master. Together, together.**_

Perona stared at him a moment longer, then something flashed across her eyes, something gentle, almost in understanding, but the look was so foreign Zoro took a step back. Perona never did gentle. She never did understanding. She was the tough girl who yelled and fought her way through the idiots who dared cross her path, good reason or not. She was similar to Kuina in this aspect, just a lot more violent in her ways.

'But I stayed. You have to stay too, at least until daddy comes. He won't want you to leave.'

'He can't stop them, you've seen them,' he growled. 'He can fight them, he can win. But those people will keep coming after me, and- and-'

_He'd burn. He'd burn, just as sensei did. They will all fall, just like Kuina. They will fall and burn, and Zoro would join them or worse, screamed at the side until the flames swallowed them whole until it was all ashes and blackness and he'd be alone and in the reach of those monsters-_

'He'll find a way. He'll come for us. If you leave, he'll go looking for you, and he won't give up until he finds you. He promised to take care of you. Daddy never breaks his promises.' She was in front of him now, her hands over his knuckles, which shook slightly from the strain from holding Wado. His face was set in a grim scowl.

He wasn't stupid. He may be a kid, but he understood the gravity of the enemies after him. Who was she to tell him what to do? And Zoro hated it. He hated not being strong enough. He wanted to fight his battle, not let others fight it for him. And he'd made up his mind, and nobody was going to stop him.

'Zoro,' the girl sounded exasperated, and a frown made a way to the face Zoro had come to know so well. Her eyes bore into his with a subtle glare. 'Those people... they were the government. You can't fight them alone. Even if they did get you, they're going to hurt everyone else. They're after me, too.'

Perona's remained silent, contemplating, as if debating whether to tell him the truth. After a long stretch of silence, she finally spoke, eyes downcast. 'Remember that day, when I told you daddy and I can see ghosts? And that I can talk to them?'

Zoro nodded.

'Seeing ghosts is normal to a certain extent, but talking to them , especially Negative ghosts - isn't. People who can do things like that – not… normal things –, they're called the Devil's Children. And the government wants to capture us because they say we're bad. At least, that was what Shanks told me.'

Zoro frowned, a puzzled look on his face. 'But… you're not bad.'

Perona didn't say anything, only lifted her hand from his knuckles and rubbed her left arm. 'When I found out… I ran away from Daddy. But those people came after me, they caught me. But before I was sent away… Daddy came. He promised me… Daddy promised he'd take care of me, that's why he came. He protected me. But… No matter how long we ran, no matter how much we hid, those people always found us. They never stopped.'

_A shark-like grin from the darkness. 'We'll never stop, Hawk Eyes. We'll never stop until we get the girl. Then she's going to turn into a fine soldier she is, then you will pay for your crimes and fall, just as Hancock did.'_

'And then…' Her voice shook. 'Daddy gave himself up,' she whispered.

Zoro's grip on his sword went slack, and blinked. And blinked again. Then his eyes grew wide open. '… Surrender?' he croaked. 'What do you mean the World's Greatest Swordsman surrendered? He's here, isn't he?'

'_I can't keep running like this, Shanks. If I was alone, if Perona…' he took a deep breath. 'Remember Nico Robin? I can't have her grow up like a fugitive into a criminal. Hancock wanted her to have a normal life. I… I promised her.' Another breath. 'The ground's shrinking under our feet. This needs to stop.'_

_Shanks looked angry. Perona had never seen him like this, at least not towards daddy. He looked like he was about to punch him into a wall. 'The World Government's might not even listen to your proposition, do you? They're just going to capture you and come after her. They're not ones to honour an agreement!'_

'_Yes, but Kuma said he found a way, and I trust him,' he scowled. 'That's why… that's why if anything happens to me, I need you to take care of her.'_

'He left.'

_He placed his hands on her shoulder, and knelt down so they were face-to-face. His stoic face was devoid of emotion, the permanent frown etched on his face, but his eyes shone with something Perona couldn't comprehend beyond the haze of __**something was wrong**__. 'Be good, alright?'_

_She remembered screaming for him, for him to come back. But Shanks had his arms wrapped around her frame, and those strong arms – unlike daddy's - shook. And Mihawk just walked away, gait proud and unhesitant, and never looked back. _

'But he came back,' Zoro pointed out again.

Perona nodded, frowning again. 'He came back, and when he did those people stopped chasing after us. Instead other people came after him, but they left me alone. They called him something… I don't understand, but I think it's bad because they were angry, especially Shanks.'

She paused. 'They called him _Shichibukai.'_

**xXxXxXx**

**Before everyone starts questioning, I'd like to clear a few things. **

**First, all the characters I have used so far in the story are canon. Second, some of you might notice the change in genre from humor to adventure. At first, I planned this out to be nothing but a cute little story of normalcy, an attempt at humor, but then this idea of a plot shot out of control and shaped into something that I can't explain, which resembles more of adventure than humor. So… yeah.**

**Thirdly, everything mentioned in this chapter has a reference from the previous chapters, so before you start jumping the guns, yes, they have been mentioned. And I'd recommend reading back the chapters to find out where and when. (though partly could be because it took me so long to update, and I'm really sorry for that.)**

**In case anyone's confused about this chapter, here's the explanation. Perona isn't Mihawk's biological child: Boa Hancock was the one who introduced her to him (as shown in the precious chapters). When the World Government came for her, he realised they would never give her peace, in which he tries to solve it by consulting Bartholomew Kuma. The both of them worked out a solution, and so he gave up his freedom and became a Shichibukai to serve the World Government in exchange for Perona's freedom. As long as he is Shichibukai, no one could touch the girl.**

**Which was why Spandam called in Mihawk. Now that he had evidence of him involved in a greater crime, he understood Mihawk's status as Shichibukai would be terminated. He separated him from the children to get to them before the Black Cats, but also to frame Kuma and get him out of the way. Now that these two prominent figures are enemies to the World Government, not only would he gain the Gorosei's trust, but also enforce the success of his battle against the criminal underworld, which is his main goal.**

**Finally and most importantly, I'm sorry for this incredibly delayed update. Gosh, I can't even dare to think how long it had been. It was an unintentional hiatus, but let's just say the past few months I haven't been able to get into the mind of doing anything but brood, much less writing. I feel better now, hence this lengthy update, which is an apology for the lateness. And I assure you, no matter how long it takes I'm going to finish this story. I hate leaving things undone and it's just not my way. It's just that, it's been a rough time, but I'm back. And I'll be back again, depending on the length of my next chapter and how much time I have. I don't dare come up with a specific time, because I'm not sure. But I doubt it'd be as long as this insanely long hiatus cause well, it is hard to top. XD**

**And also, thank you for all those who had reviewed, favourited and followed this story. It's meant a lot that I'm able to bring some joy to those who are reading this. Thanks a lot.**

**So… review? ;) **


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